Mind Over Matter
by Kye SmileyFace
Summary: After all this time, she had kept her unspoken promise. She had healed him- in more ways than one.*formerly "In This Spirit Lies Healing"* M for language, situations, etc.
1. In This Spirit Lies Healing

**I felt compelled to do this. I couldn't help myself. Enjoy!**

* * *

_She was a myth. A fantasy. A ghost if you will. One thing he knew for sure- she wasn't real. _

The citizens of Ba Sing Se were well accustomed to extraordinary. It was like second nature. It was to the point that they didn't even know what war was. They almost began looking for Dai Li agents lurking in dark allies, hiding from rooftops. They had grown up believing that nothing could break down their walls.

That is until, the Blue Spirit arrived.

He had not physically caused their great walls any harm (the drill doing that job fine) but he breezed right through them. He snaked his way into the Earth Kingdom and no one knew how. The Dai Li could never catch him. He never used bending to identify him from a nation. He always hid his face with a water demon mask. He was a shadow the way he stole through the night, not ever letting people get a good enough look. He was silent, not daring to let them hear the deep rasp of his voice. He was quick. No one would catch him.

The most frustrating part: he was one of them. He walked amongst them in daylight. He smiled, bartered with merchants, ate in restaurants, drunk tea. But he was never caught behind the mask. He was hidden in plain sight.

For a while the Blue Spirit sightings were all anyone could talk about. Then, one day, he just left. He had not cornered some thug in an alley. He had not robbed some Earth Kingdom delegate. The people of Ba Sing Se had to conclude that the Blue Spirit was no longer among them. Slowly, the excitement wore down.

….

On his travels from Ba Sing Se, he heard whispers about the Blue Spirit, always pleased with himself when someone spoke of him in awe, amused when they declared him an enemy of the Fire Nation. Just wonderful.

As he started towards the Fire Nation, talk of the Blue Spirit became scarce. It was someone else who was giving the people of this nation goosebumps on their skin.

Suddenly he found himself pressing people for information about this spirit. This Painted Lady.

"_She's like a ghost, you know she's there, but you can't quite put a finger on it..."_

"_I've never seen her myself, but I know she's the most beautiful spirit in the world,"_

"_She heals the sick, brings the poor food. Always helping those in need."_

"_The Painted Lady is real, I know she is. No one's seen her, but she's out there."_

And indeed she was. The Blue Spirit found himself right in the middle of a place she regularly visited apparently. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. And something else. Something that hadn't been around when The Blue Spirit was in Ba Sing Se. Hope.

There was no question that these people adored this spirit. They put their very lives in her hands and trusted that she would heal them and make them whole. At first he thought them foolish for putting trust in such things. Then he saw an old women, lying on her death bed. He thought to himself, _where is your Painted Lady while this woman dies?_

The next day, the same woman was spotted in the market- whole and healthy. With an aged smile, she told the merchant, _"She came to me last night. I know she did."_

And at this moment, the Blue Spirit decided to find this spirit. To see for himself how real she was.

A night or so later, he picked up the old mask and placed it over his face, instantly feeling like another part of him was being reawakened. He felt confident that he would see her for sure. Besides, what made the Painted Lady so special that the people of this village knew almost nothing of the Blue Spirit?

Silent as the shadows, he stole over the roofs of building, jumped over tree branches, sprinted his way thought the market place to the edge of town.

He came across a deep pond. He could swim it, but didn't really want to. From his research, he learned that the Painted Lady was a river spirit. It would make sense that she be here. Right?

So the Blue Spirit sat and waited for her to come. It was nearing three hours after midnight when he heard it. The feather light footsteps. He looked up and saw her emerging from the trees on the opposite bank.

She was obviously the one this village lived for. She was wearing robes of deepest purple, with rope tying at certain spots. She had red markings over her exposed arms and a wide hat and veil covered her face from view.

He could tell she wasn't a spirit. But yet she was the Painted Lady that they spoke so highly of.

He jumped to his feet and she stopped dead. From under the brim of her hat and through the eye slits of her masks, the two locked gazes. He heard her breath hitch.

_This ghost, this shadow, I had no idea he could possibly walk this same Earth. He's real. So why is he here?_

They stood like that for a while, staring at each other. The Blue Spirit looked her over carefully, noting the pleasantly brown complexion of her skin, her flowing dark hair and her small, nimble form.

She stared at the man in front of her. Clad fully in black, and a white and blue mask, no skin was visible. But she could see the broad chest his shirt concealed. The strong arms that wielded the swords on his back and the confidence that seemed to roll off of him in waves.

When she saw his hand twitch, instinct took over. She bended the water in front of her and flung it at him in a shower of icy blades. He pulled his swords out and deflected them all but she had already disappeared. He glanced around widely, wondering where she could have possibly gone. He walked nearer to the edge of the bank as he considered this option. She was a river spirit after all, or pretending to be. She could have gone down their...

He recognized his mistake too late. And now she was rising slowly out of the water, freezing him in the process. He could not move. She had the ice up to his neck now and she continued to let the water push her up until she was eye level with him. He looked down to see her standing on the pond. _She's not a river spirit. She's a waterbender._

She stared at her captive intently, trying to see past the mask. The Blue Spirit averted his eyes, so she would not see the gold glint and assume he was the enemy.

Steeling himself, he spoke for the very first time while in his mask. "Tell me Painted Lady, do the people who devote themselves to you, know that you are no more human than themselves or myself?"

She didn't miss a beat. "Tell me Blue Spirit, do the people you rebel against know that you're one of them?"

His throat tightened. How would she know this? He had been so careful as to not let people learn of his secret. The consequences would be more dire than that of that fateful day when he was just thirteen years old...

"You must know my identity then." he resigned himself to saying. The coldness of the ice was finally penetrating the layers of clothes he wore. But when she answered, it chilled him more than any ice cube could do.

"It's because I know who you are that I haven't killed you yet."

Then she raised her head enough so that he could see the blue orbs that stood out against her skin tone. Blue eyes that rivaled the ocean. The same blue eyes that had stared back at him defiantly when he stormed her villages so long ago.

Then she touched the mask gently, her hand in the same spot that it was when they were trapped under Ba Sing Se. She closed her eyes as if remembering that time.

When she dropped her hand, she raised them high above her head, causing a wave to come out of the pond and crash down over them both.

When the Blue Spirit had regained his balance from the impact of the water, she was gone. He reached up and to his horror found that his hand met skin instead. He looked around frantically but had to conclude that the mask was gone. Washed away by the girl who had once tried to heal him. He ran a hand through his black shaggy hair, his hand brushing his face in the process.

He nearly fainted right then and there. His blood ran cold for a moment.

His face was smooth and unmarred. Both sides.

_After all this time, she had kept her unspoken promise. She had healed him. In more ways than one._

* * *

**A/N**

**I'll continue on with it if I get **

**enough people who want to read what happens next.**

I hope you all liked this story. I had always wanted

**to do a Blue Spirit/Painted Lady fic, but I never**

**could wrap my head around my ideas.**

**Finally, I got it done! Let me know what you think!**

**Reviews are like water in the middle of the Sahara Desert.**

**Don't let me dehydrate! :D **


	2. With Differences Come Heavy Heart

A/N

So, I've gotten a few reviews saying I should keep on with this story so here goes...

Oh and just to clear some stuff up:

Zuko betrayed them in Ba Sing Se, and he went back to the Fire Nation, but he's still the Blue Spirit.

Enjoy!

"_You're terrible person! …You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally- the fire nation took my mother..."_

_Silence._

"_I'm sorry."_

_I looked up shocked, my tears drying instantly. Did he, Zuko-evil, honor seeking, monstrous, fire breathing prince- just apologize? To me?_

"_I guess that's something we have in common," he went on to say. _

_I turned around and went to him, stood right in front of him. For the first time, we weren't fighting, or facing off. We were just there. _

_He tells me about his scar. I offer to heal it, but he says you can't heal a scar. I pretend not to hear the overwhelming sadness in his voice. Instead I place a cool, tan hand on his warm pale face. My thumb rests right on his lip. _

_His eyes are closed. I can heal him. I will heal him..._

She sat straight up, eyes wide. Shocked. Breathing hard.

In the sleeping bags next to her, Sokka stirred. Aang rubbed his eyes sleepily, half awake.

"Are you ok Katara?" he asked worriedly. She rarely had bad dreams.

"I'm fine Aang." she told him. "Just a little nightmare."

"Well if you want to stay up and talk.." he said, half hoping she would say yes, half hoping she would go back to bed.

"No, it's ok. We still have a few more hours of sleep." she said with a reassuring smile.

He nodded and quickly fell back into his deep slumber. Katara sighed and scooted back down in her sleeping bag as well. If she ever got back to sleep, she hoped she wouldn't dream the same dream.

…

When the noblewoman Mai returned from her trip to Omashu, she found herself bored as ever.

She sat at her vanity, in the middle of putting her blades and shurikens in the pockets of her sleeves, when the pink clad acrobat sailed through her open window and landed gracefully on her feet.

"What do you want Ty lee?" was her way of greeting her childhood friend.

"Good afternoon Mai!" she chirped. She was practically bouncing, happiness radiated off of her. She watched Mai for a few minutes before Mai set her comb down and turned to Ty lee.

"Spit it out." she said in her deadpan voice. "What's this exciting news you must have?" 

"Oh Mai, what makes you think I have news?" Ty lee said with a nervous giggle.

"I've known you since we were eight. I think I can tell if you have something to say."

Ty lee steeled herself for a moment, not knowing if she wanted to make it a surprise or not. "So, are you going to visit Zuko today?"

Mai turned a faint shade of pink. This was usually her reaction when someone mentioned Zuko. He had finally returned home and the two of them had finally taken things to the next level.

"I might." she replied. _Of course I am, _she thought to herself.

"Well, I should warn you, when you see him, he might be a little..." Ty lee paused as if trying to find the right word. "Different."

"Different?" Mai repeated. She ran her fingers through her straight, black hair.

Ty lee nodded and took a seat on Mai's bed. "Yes. Different. When you see Zuko. I mean, he's still Zuko but he's not Zuko. Well, he is Zuko, just different. Because he's changed. So now he's different."

Mai stared at her for a moment. "What, did he change his hair?"

Ty lee gave a little laugh. "Oh gosh no. I mean, can you imagine the looks he would get if he shaved his head again but kept that silly little ponytail? Jeez, he'd have to lose a bet to go that far. But he does spend more time in the library I hear."

Mai sighed. "Fine. Don't tell me." she got to her feet. "I guess I'll just go see for myself."

Ty lee but her lip. "Um Mai, you should know that Azula isn't too happy about his transition."

Mai turned back and nodded at Ty lee. "You're not coming?"

"I'd rather not be there again. Azula might still be tossing around lightening."

Mai nodded again and left her room. She wondered what Zuko could have possibly done this time to upset Azula so much. Then again, his very presence seemed to piss her off.

…...

"Ok Team Avatar," Sokka said as he paced in front of his very sleepy and irritable companions. "The eclipse is in four days and we have some last minute plans to go make."

"Like what?" Toph spat on the ground and stared blankly in front of her.

"You know," Sokka scratched his chin. "stuff."

"Sokka, we have everything together." Katara assured him. "We'll get to the rendezvous point by sundown and then we wait until Dad comes with the rest of the troops."

"But what about-"

"Save it Sokka." Aang said with a wave of his hand. "We're done for now."

"For once, I agree with Twinkles." Toph shrugged. Sokka gave a defeated sigh and went to load up Appa's saddle for the journey ahead.

Aang waited for Sokka to be out of earshot before he approached Katara who was busy mending a pair of Sokka's pants.

"Hey Katara," he said uneasily.

"Hi Aang." she said without really looking up from her work.

"I was just wondering if you were ok? I mean I know it was just a bad dream but you seemed really upset so I was just making sure..."

She laughed a little. "I'm fine Aang. I just never realized how scary it would be to be chased by a lion turtle."

Aang's face lightened instantly. "Oh is that what you were dreaming about? I thought it was something much worse!"

"Yeah, that was it, just a lion turtle." Katara said and forced a laugh. Aang said something about going to help Sokka and Katara waited until he was a safe distance to exhale. She hated lying to Aang but she had told both him and Sokka that nothing had happened down in the Crystal Catacombs. Sokka tried to press the issue and Aang had acted a little suspicious at first but now they were ok. Toph was the only one who never mentioned it and for that Katara was grateful.

Katara never was one for lying and she couldn't stand trying to cover something like that up. But how could you tell your brother and your best friend (who is in love with you) that you had bonded with the enemy in a twisted kind of way? How would you explain that you felt connected to him in a way that was never, could never, be possible with them? Could you explain to them that his betrayal had cut deeper and stung harder than any blow Azula could ever land?

When Appa was done resting, it was with heavy heart that Katara got to her feet and made her way to her friends who didn't suspect a thing.

…...

Mai walked around the palace searching for Zuko. After fifteen minutes, she finally stopped a guard and asked where the prince was.

The guard gave her a funny look before answering, "Prince Zuko left for the library at dawn. I cannot say if he is still there or not."

She nodded curtly and went on her way. When she reached the large golden doors, she bowed before the image of the fire god Agni and pushed the door open. It had to be centuries years old and yet it didn't make a single sound.

She walked resolutely down the wide isles lined with shelves upon shelves of Fire Nation history. Mai thought she heard the sound of a pages rustling and turned towards the source when Zuko appeared at her side.

Her heart sped up. But not from fear.

"Zuko!" she said, shock coloring her normally monotone expression.

Zuko scar was gone. As in, not there anymore.

"Hello Mai." Zuko replied. He sounded almost depressed. There were hints of black circles under each eye.

"Zuko, you- you startled me." Mai said with a slight gasp. He didn't tease her about expressing her feelings for once. He didn't smirk, or even apologize. His features seemed to harden actually.

"Did I startle you or did my face startle you?" he asked.

Mai's eyebrows shot up. "Zuko, you know what I mean."

Zuko almost rolled his eyes (he and Azula were more alike than they liked to admit) but instead sighed audibly and turned on his heel, walking down one of the narrow isles between two bookshelves. After a second, Mai followed.

He stopped at a small table where a stack of scrolls were strewn about. He sank down into the wooden chair.

Mai picked up a scroll. "Since when are you into Fire Nation legends and whatnot?" she asked, half teasing, the other half mildly curious.

"You haven't heard?" Zuko said taking the scroll from her, "it's all the rage now." he moved some scrolls over and she perched on the desk. While he organized his stuff, she stared at his face. He looked so different. Even more handsome than she thought possible. She stopped herself then. _Am I really that shallow? Well, Azula's my best friend. I can't say my standards are very high. Holding a conversation with that girl is immoral. _Then she chuckled a little to herself.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" Zuko asked suddenly.

Mai stopped. "Um, it's nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?" he pressed.

"Well," Mai wasn't sure how to say this.. "I was um, just thinking about your scar."

"My scar?" he repeated, his head cocked to the side a little.

"Yeah, and then that led to Azula-"

"Because Azula makes us all laugh right?" he said sarcastically.

Mai sighed. "Let's not get into this Zuko." then she looked him right in the eye. "What happened? I see a scarred prince firebending his ass off and ordering guards around one day, the next day you're scar is gone and I hear you've been hiding out in a library!"

"So I've picked up a hobby." Zuko countered. Mai narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't play this game with me Zuko. What happened?" she repeated.

"So you want me to have a scar on my face?" he asked, a little more than upset.

"No!" she sighed. "I don't. I think you're better off without it. But you seem different. Like, whatever took your scar away took part of you too. I can tell."

Zuko clenched his jaw. He shouldn't have expected Mai, of all people, to understand. He wasn't very fond of his mark himself, but at the same time, that was a part of who he was. Mai was only looking at the exterior. As usual.

Zuko stood up and stood in front of her. She stared up at him. His perfect face.

"Tell me Mai," he said quietly. "What do you see in me now? When there's nothing here?" he pointed to the left side of his face.

"I see the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation. I see the man who will one day rule this country, and do it with pride. I know you aren't marred by your past anymore so you can it do it better." she reached up to cup his face but he move back a little. Her hand fell limply.

"And what did you see when I had the scar?" he asked.

For that Mai was at loss of words.

A/N

Hope you guys liked this, and please don't freak out,

THIS IS NOT A MAIKO fic, but I've got a plan

and I'm sticking to it.

Zutara coming soon, reviews are greatly appreciated.

-Kye :D


	3. Her Eyes That Rival the Ocean

**So now that I'm getting into the flow of this story, I'm loving it so far!**

**Enjoy chapter 3! :D **

**

* * *

**

The sun shone brightly in the morning sky, a light fog covered the surface of the massive body of water. Somewhere in the distance, a Cardinal-Parrot chirped happily.

The Day of Black Sun had arrived.

On the cliffs overlooking this very scene, the gaang busied themselves with preparations for the arrival of the water tribe siblings' father, Chief Hakoda. With him he would be bringing an invasion force; several water tribe warriors, small resistance groups from around the Earth Kingdom and even some of the nomads from the Northern Air Temple and the waterbenders from the swamp.

"How many people do you think are going to be part of this?" Toph asked Katara from her spot on Appa's tail.

Katara shrugged and Aang answered, "Hopefully a lot of people will show up! Then we can all ambush the fire nation and they won't ever see it coming!"

Toph rolled her sightless eyes and immediately regretted asking the question. Just like Aang to always expect people to do what's right in the middle of the war. Toph was not stupid. People would stay silent and stay alive rather than do what's right and chance their death. Self preservation- it was human nature.

Suddenly Sokka jumped to his feet. "You guys!" he said happily. "Look at all that fog, it has to be dad coming!" he exclaimed.

"I'm so excited," Katara admitted. "I haven't seen dad in so long..."

"It's alright Katara." Sokka said putting an arm on her shoulder. "He's coming."

….

"Make sure the guards in the towers have plenty of ammunition. And is the bunker open and ready for us to descend?" Firelord Ozai stared down at the guards from his throne in the war room.

"Yes my lord." one guard said. "We've made arrangements for extra supplies to be on hand at all times. As for the bunker, it's in perfect condition and prepared for your liking."

"Good." Ozai said with grim satisfaction. "Now go and tell Princess Azula to report here immediately." when the guard bowed and turned on his heel, Ozai addressed the rest of his guard. "Listen carefully. Today the avatar thinks he will kill me and gain control of the fire nation. This will not happen. I expect you all to dispose of anyone who stands in the way of victory for the Fire Nation. Including the avatar himself."

The most senior member of the guard stepped forward. "Of course my lord. We will not disappoint."

Ozai's mouth upturned in a sneer at the man's words. "I expect no less of you. And if you shall fail to protect our borders, I will deal with you each personally. Dismissed."

And with a final bow, they all turned and exited the war room as the princess entered.

"Father," she said with a crisp bow. "is everything set in motion?"

"Everything is going according to plan. The avatar and his so called army will not know what hit them."

Azula balled her fist with an evil grin. "Good. It's almost too bad that I might not be the one to end the child."

Ozai nodded at his daughter. She was his favorite. She was as merciless as he was and her strategic skills were most impressive. "Where is your brother?" Ozai asked.

Azula scowled. "He's been holing up in the library. Hiding his face from the public."

The Firelord raised an eyebrow. "Hiding his face?"

"Now that the scar is gone, it's drawn more attention to him. He can't go anywhere without people recounting the day he got the scar and comparing the events. He's embarrassed."

"Your brother is weak." Ozai snarled. "He's a fool to think he'll ever be Firelord of this country."

This pleased Azula more than anything else. Hearing her father speak those words put the biggest smile on her face.

….

"Sokka, do you think all those clouds will mess up our invasion plan?" Katara asked, looking out the fog gathering in the distance.

Sokka stood up, a thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly, he broke into a grin. "That's not fog, that _is_ the invasion!"

The gaang all whooped and cheered and Aang grabbed Toph and twirled her around. There were a lot of ships coming in. They quickly made four docks for the ships into. For Toph it was easy work, but Aang wasn't exactly the best earthbender.

When Hakoda stepped off of the ship, he was ambushed immediately by Katara and Sokka. He had been away from his children that he was shocked when he noticed that Sokka almost stood as tall as him and Katara had grown more like her mother than ever. He had never been so happy.

"Sokka, Katara. I've missed you both so much." he said, tears in the corners of his eyes.

"Dad, it's been so long." Katara said hugging him tightly.

"Too long." Sokka agreed.

Toph and Aang stood on the side while the Water Tribe siblings reunited with their father. Aang watched with shining eyes as the trio hugged and cried. Having never met his parents, he didn't know how it felt to be loved and missed by them. Toph on the other hand, knew what a parents love felt like. She just wished it was the kind that Hakoda gave to his children.

…...

Zuko sat hunched at a desk somewhere amidst the many shelves of books in the palace library. By the light of a slowly dimming flame, he wrote scroll upon scroll and stacked them neatly in a pile in front of him. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't even blink when Azula dropped down from the top of the shelve behind him. She landed neatly in a crouch.

"Father is looking for you." she said as she straightened her suit.

"What have I done now?" Zuko said without looking up. He paused to reread the line he had just written and then scratched it out, opting to word it differently.

"Well you are still alive." Azula muttered to herself. Zuko rolled his eyes and kept writing.

"I'm working Azula," Zuko said impatiently. "Unless it's of utmost importance, I'd appreciate it if you would dismiss yourself from my presence.

Azula narrowed her eyes into slits. She didn't like Zuko talking to her as if she were inferior to him. "Fine. But for some reason, Father requests that you come with us during the eclipse into the bunker."

Zuko snorted. "I'm not going to hide just because I won't be able to bend for a few minutes. Tell father I'll be just fine and if anyone does gain entrance to the palace I can handle them just fine."

Azula smirked. "Oh Zuko, you never learn." she examined her perfect nails. "You're better off saving yourself the trouble...but if you want to die," she created a vicious blue fireball in her hand, her eyes glinted evilly. "I'll be happy to help."

Zuko flicked his hand at her and her flame diminished. "Don't bother. Just go away."

Azula stuck her nose up haughtily and was about to leave when she noticed the pile of scrolls. Before her brother could stop her, she snatched up a scroll and unrolled it. After a moment she asked, "Who's the Painted Lady?"

Zuko closed his eyes tightly for a moment in agitation. He took a deep breath and continued writing. He chose to ignore Azula instead.

"Have it your way," Azula said with contempt. She threw the scroll down on the floor and turned on her heel and walked away.

When Azula was a safe distance away, Zuko stood up and stretched for what seemed like the first time in days. He reached down and picked up the scroll that his sister had so carelessly thrown down and smoothed it out.

_Who knows the Painted Lady? The answer is that _

_truthfully, few people know of her true greatness _

_and even less know of her absolute beauty and _

_grace. To some people, she is merely a myth, not _

_real. A child's bedtime story. To those who have _

_witnessed her astonishing powers, it is truly a _

_most miraculous thing to see. The Painted Lady _

_represents healing, and beauty and most importantly, _

_hope..._

Zuko stopped reading the words he had written. After all, he knew them by heart. Very carefully, he rolled the scroll back up and placed it with the others. He took the candle off of the table and set it on the floor before sitting down lotus style in front of it. He closed his eyes and picturing her beautiful face, began to meditate.

…...

"...today, this war ends!" Hakoda said proudly to the many warriors who had come to fight alongside the avatar.

Everyone clapped and cheered as they reveled in the fact that today could possibly be the day when all the chaos ended.

An hour or so later, they had all boarded the ships and set sail. Unlike Sokka, Katara didn't mingle with the other people aboard. Instead she kept to herself mostly and practiced her bending. No one really paid her much attention seeing as there was much work to be done. A certain blind earthbender, who was absolutely useless on a wooden ship on water, sought out Katara with great difficulty and stuck to her like glue.

"So, what's got you down Sugar Queen?" Toph asked while picking her toes. "You aren't usually this quiet."

Distracted, Katara replied, "Oh, I'm fine. Just...you know, worried I guess."

Toph snorted. "You're always worried." she flicked the fluff from her fingers. "What are you worrying about now?"

Katara bit her lip and said the first thing that came to mind. "Aang."

Toph rolled her sightless eyes. "You're such a bad liar Sugar Queen."

"But I'm serious." and to a certain extent, she was. But not as much as she was about the upcoming fight. "I mean, last time he fought he was killed in the Avatar State. I don't have any water left from the Spirit Oasis so I won't be able to heal him if he gets hurt badly again."

Toph thought for a moment. "Well, you aren't lying about that, but that's not the big thing is it? Come on, tell me."

Katara heaved a great sigh. She wondered how in Tui's name she would explain this to Toph. "Toph, do you remember back when we stayed at that fishing village?"

"You mean the place where you pretended to be the Painted Lady?" Toph said with a look.

Katara smiled a bit. "That's the one."

"What about it?"

"Well, while we were there, I...did something I'm not sure was good or bad."

Instead of pressing her for details, Toph sat silently and pondered Katara's words for a minute. Then she asked. "Did you think it was a good idea when you did it?"

Katara shrugged. "I guess. Maybe I was wrong though. I mean, Jet was going to burn down an entire village because he thought it was the right thing to do."

"The big difference is that you usually do what's right." Toph said kindly. "I'm positive you would never do anything that would cause harm to anyone. At least not on purpose. It's not who you are."

Katara sighed and slumped down. She pulled her bag close to her and opened it enough for her to see the white and blue water demon mask hidden inside. She touched it gently, remembering that nights like it had happened only moments ago.

…...

Zuko had been meditating for nearly an hour when he heard the first sounds of the invasion. There were loud bangs that could be heard from the beaches. He wondered vaguely what sort of resistance his father's troops were meeting. One thing he knew for sure, the Avatar did not give up easily.

One thing he wasn't so certain about was his father's plan. He would go on for hours about how he wanted to be the one to end the avatar's life and yet, one time when the avatar willingly comes and picks a fight with him, he's hiding in a bunker? To Zuko it didn't make any sense.

To take his mind off of his worries, he returned to his writing. In a matter of minutes, he was completely absorbed in his work.

Not long after he had finished a scroll, did he sense something different in the air around him.

He felt a presence. Someone was in the library with him.

Very carefully he put down his brush and put away the scroll. He got to his feet slowly and squared his shoulders. He turned to face her as she emerged from the shadows.

She stopped in her tracks and he paused as well. Standing mere feet apart, the two benders stood silently, each waiting for the next to make the first move.

"Lady," he said with a slight nod of his head. Here was the girl he had been writing about for days on in. Somehow, it seemed like his words did not do her justice. She was even more beautiful than ever at that moment.

"Spirit," she said quietly, sadness leaking through her voice. Being no stranger to pain, Zuko heard the emotion.

"You're distraught." he said. "I wonder why?"

Katara's felt tears in the corner of her eyes. "I promised that I would heal you. And I did. But you're still here, fighting against us. I wonder why?"

Zuko felt his shoulders slump. She still thought of him as the enemy. "No. Not fighting."

"Then why are you here Zuko?" She countered back. "Why are you standing by why your father destroys everything that matters to anyone?"

"That's not what I'm trying to do," he managed to say. "I'm not fighting with him."

"And you standing here, spending every waking minute in this palace is helping?"

At that moment, a bomb landed near the palace, the whole place shook. Zuko's neatly stacked scrolls toppled down off of the table. They rolled every which way. Carefully, Katara bent down and picked up one that had stopped by the tip of her foot. She unrolled it slowly and began to read:

_"None could rival that of the Painted Lady. She moved with such_

_grace and her movements were as fluent as the water she commanded._

_On that night she rid me of a mark that owned me, how I longed to _

_be in her good graces. She was power and strength, and beauty, and _

_royalty and hope all pieced together to create the lovely and most_

_perfect portrait of revenue. She took the mask away from me forever _

_and it was then I knew that she must be of the gods to possess the ability_

_to draw Fire to Water in such a way. It was when I looked into her eyes_

_that rivaled the ocean that I knew-"_

Katara broke off in mid sentence. Zuko watched as her eyes read the rest of the sentence. "Go on." he told her. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, but continued on:

_"It was when I looked into her eyes that rivaled the ocean that I knew, _

_I would love and devote myself to this lovely one until the day of _

_my death. Her voice is like music to me and when I hear it, I envision_

_myself the one she dances with. It is the Painted Lady that I admire,_

_and the woman behind her that I love and adore. After all this time _

_she had kept her promise- she had healed me, in more ways than one."_

When Katara lowered the scroll from her face, her breath hitched when she saw that Zuko was so close. She could feel the heat that radiated off of him, she willed herself to not be drawn into him.

"Zuko, I-" she began but he broke her mid sentence with a finger to her lips.

"I've been waiting for you, Katara." he said softly, looking into her deep blue eyes. "I've been helping myself, writing about you."

She shook her head. He dropped his finger. "You don't mean that Zuko. This isn't real." tears fell from her eyes, down her cheeks, and dropped to the floor between them.

"I do," he said with a nod. "every word. I won't lie to you. Not again."

Surprising both herself and Zuko, Katara reached up and placed her hand right over the spot where his scar once was, her thumb resting right on his lips. Zuko closed his eyes and welcomed the coolness of her hand.

"I'll follow you anywhere Katara." he whispered. "I promise I won't be far behind you."

He didn't pull away. Neither did she.

* * *

**A/N**

**and that's that chapter. **

**I hate that I update so infrequently **

**and I can't apologize enough **

**so please, please, PLEASE**

**bear with me if the next update isn't **

**until a week's time. **

**I really need to prioritize a bit better.**

**I enjoy your reviews and I would **

**love to see some feedback.**

**-kye :}}}**


	4. A Promise He Chose to Keep

**Yip yip! Chapter four! :D **

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Behind an enormous slab of rock, Sokka sat with his father trying to fix up the gash on Hakoda's side.

"Sorry dad," Sokka apologized for the tenth time. "I'm no good at this."

Hakoda managed a slight chuckle. "It's alright son, I'll be just fine."

"I know, dad." Sokka placed another bandage on the wound. "I wonder where Katara is. She just ran off."

"I'm sure your sister knows what she's doing." Hakoda said, attempting to sit up. Sokka snorted.

After Sokka had helped his father into a sitting position against the rock, Sokka busied himself with cleaning up the bloodied rags and cloths that he had used on his father's wound. He was really trying to keep himself occupied. More than anything he wanted to rejoin the fight but the need to protect his father was even greater. He still wanted to though.

Suddenly his vision was obscured by a figure dressed in blue with lots of flowy brown hair.

"Katara!" Sokka exclaimed, and hugged her back tightly. "You're ok!"

Katara pulled away. "Of course I'm ok! Are you?"

Sokka looked over at their dad who was smiling at the pair. "I'm fine but you've got to heal dad."

Katara shot him a panicked glance as she quickly went over to examine her dad. He smiled up at her as she used her bending to fix whatever Sokka couldn't.

"Thank you Katara." Hakoda said gratefully. He sat up a little more easier against the rock.

Katara got to her feet. She looked above her towards the sky. Was that-

"Katara," Hakoda said, noticing her silence. "You seem distracted."

"Is that- is that Aang?" she pointed to the young airbender flying rapidly on his glider right at them.

When he landed, Sokka turned to him. "Please tell me the firelord was a big baby and you didn't even need the eclipse to defeat him." Aang shook his head.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"No one was home." Aang explained. "The entire palace city is empty."

Sokka's eyes narrowed. "They knew."

…...

Very quickly Zuko made his way through the empty palace and to his chambers. A knapsack from his fugitive days was packed and stowed away under his bed. He tossed it on the bed and turned to the window where he had made a shrine dedicated to his mother.

He knelt before her picture and took in her beautiful features. She was truly the image of royalty to Zuko. She represented everything that his father did not and for that, Zuko loved his mother even more.

"I know I've done some bad things in my past," he spoke to her picture. "But I promise I'm going to make this right."

With those final words, Zuko got to his feet and retrieved his sack from the bed. He didn't look back as he exited the room.

With skill only the Blue Spirit could master, he made his way across the court and into the neighboring palace. Mai's house.

Having been there plenty of times before, he had no trouble finding her room. When he reached it, he wasn't surprised to find that she wasn't there. More than likely she was down in the bunker with everyone else.

Zuko took one look at the portrait of him and Mai drawn by the palace painter. She had hung it on her wall. When that portrait had been drawn, he still had his scar. Unconsciously Zuko reached up and touched the smooth skin on the left side of his face. He sighed heavily and threw himself down into the chair at her writing table.

Using the heavy wooden blocks to spread the paper out, Zuko picked up a brush and began writing his goodbye letter to Mai.

…...

Things were not looking good for the avatar and his companions.

After being led into the firelord's prestigious secret bunker by Toph, tricked into wasting all of their time by Azula, the gaang was not very pleased when they discovered that the fire nation not only had war balloons, but war zeppelins as well. It was these very machines that destroyed their subs at the beaches. As of that moment, they were trapped in the fire nation. What was worse- the eclipse was over.

Seeking refuge on a mountainside, the resistance regrouped.

Katara and Sokka clung to their father. "We'll send the younger ones ahead on Appa. The rest of us will stay behind and be prisoners."

"No dad!" Katara cried. "We won't lose you again."

Haru's dad Tyro stepped forward. "I've had some experience with fire nation prisons. It won't be easy, but we'll all survive this battle."

Sokka shook his head sadly. With an air of depression, the younger members of the resistance, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, The Duke, Teo, and Haru, all hugged loved ones goodbye and climbed aboard Appa.

No was surprised to see tears fall from the avatar's face as he addressed the remaining troops.

"Thank you all for fighting so bravely today. I promise to make it up to you all."

Hakoda gave a sad smile as the great bison groaned and took flight.

"I know the perfect place we can go for a while," Aang said to the group from the reins. "The Western Air Temple."

The tired heroes murmured their agreement as the bison flew away from the fire nation.

…..

Several hours later, the sky had begun to darken and it was not long before Appa was full of snoring people. Even Aang had fallen asleep after giving Appa express directions to go directly to the temple.

Only Katara lay awake on the traveling bison. In the small space, she managed to get a nice spot on the saddle where she could look over the edge. Her arm dangled over the edge and her hair blew with the wind as she looked down at the vast body of water below them.

Her thoughts strayed back to the fire nation where Zuko was probably locked away in the library writing more stories about the Painted Lady. It almost made her heart break when she thought about the last words he said to her. _I'll follow you anywhere Katara. I promise I won't be far behind you..._

The sincerity in both his words and his eyes was real. So why was it so hard for her to believe that maybe, somehow, Zuko was somewhere out there, following her like he promised?

Katara sighed heavily and let her mind drift with the wind.

…..

"This is humiliating." Katara groaned.

"The fact that we thoroughly got our butts whooped by the fire nation or the fact that we have to walk to the Western Air Temple?" Sokka asked down spiritedly.

"Both." Katara answered.

It was the middle of the day and the group found themselves walking in the middle of a desert area.

"I'm sorry you guys," Aang apologized. "Appa isn't so used to carrying so many people on his back."

"This stinks." Toph grumbled. "All this walking is messing with my feet. I can barely see a thing."

Haru, Teo and The Duke all gave audible sighs. Only Momo was silent. He lounged lazily on top of Aang's bald head.

The group walked on and on. A few minutes later, Toph's face lit up as her foot hit the ground. "We're here!" she exclaimed.

The group stopped and looked in front of them. They had reached the edge of a canyon and it dropped down endlessly. The other side of the canyon stretched out emptily across the pit.

"Um Toph," Katara said with a small frown. "I think you need your feet checked."

"No," Aang said, a huge smile appearing on his face. "She's right!"

He told everyone to climb on Appa and in seconds they were flying over the huge crevice. Their eyes went wide as Appa flew downwards.

The Western Air Temple was breathtaking. The temples all hung upside down under the canyon. There were several huge fountains placed over the temples. Huge statues of airbenders and avatars stood at the entrance to each sanctuary. Vines curled around large pillars. Even Sokka was speechless.

"Aang," Katara said breathlessly. "this is amazing!"

"It's the most prestigious and complex temple built by the monks." Aang said as they landed. When he jumped off he began to see the finer details- scorch marks, broken spears and other pieces of armor. "It was supposed to be the only temple the fire nation couldn't find." he finished sadly.

Katara and Sokka looked at each as they each remembered the day when Aang realized the fire nation had invaded the Southern Air Temple. That was a day they would all like to forget.

Absently, they all began to unload whatever items were on Appa and then Sokka began to remove all of the heavy armor he designed for the bison.

Around late afternoon, Haru, Teo and The Duke opted for some exploring. When Aang tried to run after them, Katara grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"But I want to go explore too!" he complained.

"We need to have a meeting about what the new plan is," she explained. "and since you're the avatar we thought you should be here as well."

Aang pouted and threw himself down on the stone bench.

"So what's the plan, Plan Guy?" Toph asked Sokka.

"Well," Sokka said scratching his invisible beard. "since the invasion didn't work, the new plan is the _old _plan! Aang masters all four elements and at the end of the summer he defeats the firelord!"

"Who's going to teach him firebending though?" Toph asked.

Katara thought for a moment. "We could always go back and try to find Jeong Jeong."

"Who's- never mind. I'll find out if he's important." Toph said.

Aang stood up, a huge grin on his face. "Oh, well, looks like the meeting's adjourned so I'm going to go now!"

"Not yet," Toph said with a frown. "I think things are going to get a complicated." she pointed towards Appa who groaned and stood up and walked away revealing a very disheveled prince Zuko. Katara's hand flew to her mouth.

He was here. He kept his promise after all. He followed her.

Zuko moved his mouth but no words came out. He reached a hand out to Katara and Sokka drew his boomerang.

"You make another move and I'll slice your face off!" Sokka said fiercely. Toph and Aang both took defensive stances but Katara stayed motionless. Something wasn't right.

Zuko tried to talk again but all that came out was a choked sound.

Then Katara saw the blood.

It was seeping through the front of his shirt and slowly pooling in the fabric. Being a healer, instinct took over and Katara ran to Zuko.

"Katara what are you doing?" Aang shouted at her. She paid him no mind as she rushed to Zuko. He took one step forward and fell forward. Katara caught him and gently lowered him to the ground.

"He's hurt!" she called back to Aang.

"So?" Sokka exclaimed.

She ignored him as she hastily ripped Zuko's shirt open to reveal a deep gash that was steadily leaking blood and turning a nasty shade of green. She gave him a quick once over and determined that this was the only wound on him.

"I need some water!" she called to her friends.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try and heal him!" Sokka yelled.

"He's hurt and I'm going to fix him!" Katara shouted back. "I'm a healer and I'm not just going to let him die like this!"

Aang and Sokka looked at each other once and turned back to Katara. "So?" they both said.

"Oh for the love of Oma," Toph rolled her eyes and pushed the two boys out of her way. She broke off a chunk of the stone bench and used her bending to fashion the rock into a decent sized bowl. With her feet as her guide, Toph made her way over to the fountain a few yards away and carefully dipped the bowl in the water. While she was doing this, Katara busied herself by trying to make Zuko as comfortable as possible for the time being. She used his shirt as a pillow and used part of her own shirt to wipe the sweat that was beading on his forehead away.

"Katara," he said weakly. He looked up in her eyes and Katara saw something flicker in his.

"Shh," she shushed him. "Don't talk, you'll make yourself weaker."

Of course he didn't listen. "I followed you," he struggled to say. "I kept my promise." Katara nodded but didn't say anything else. When Toph brought the water over, she quickly got to work. With her healing abilities, she was able to see that the damage went a lot deeper than she thought. Broken ribs, internal bleeding. Katara couldn't help but wonder how he even managed to get as far as he did.

Before she knew it, Zuko had passed out. She continued to heal him as long as she could but eventually, she got tired as well. She sat back on her legs as she watched him sleep. She could still see the bruising and knew she still had a lot more work to do.

She got to her feet and gathered up the bowl and torn pieces of shirt that lay around him. She turned to go to the fountain but found Aang standing right there in front of her.

She jumped and nearly dropped the bowl. "Aang, you scared me."

His expression could have made Gran-gran cower. "Katara, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm healing him, Aang. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're helping an enemy who's been trying to kill us for over a year!"

"Enemy or not, it wouldn't have been right for me to just leave him!"

"I can't believe you right now, Katara." Aang threw his hands up in frustration.

"No I can't believe you, Aang." she countered. "You're supposed to be the avatar. You keep going on about how you want peace and whatnot but that's all talk right? In the end you'd kill anyway right?"

"I am trying to keep peace!" he yelled. "But I can't do that if I have some crazed banished prince who could murder me in my sleep!"

"He's not going to kill you in your sleep Aang!" Katara dropped the bowl and placed her hands on her hips.

"Whatever Katara!" Aang exclaimed. "Fine, fix him up, heal him and when he tries to kill us, don't come crying to me!"

Katara snorted. "Even if he does, what makes you think I'll come crying to you? I'm your teacher remember? But fine, I'll heal him and I'll find out why he came here, and if he does turn out to be bad again, you won't have to worry about my bad decision making anymore!"

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" he asked.

Katara steeled herself for a moment. "Because- because I'll leave. Then you can go and be Mr. Avatar and keep peace with Sokka and Toph but I'm leaving."

Aang's expression softened. "Katara, I-"

But she cut him off. "I'm done talking to you Aang." with that she pushed past him and went to find blankets for her and Zuko.

Aang slapped himself on the forehead and took a few steps towards Zuko's sleeping form. Aang's eyes went wide as he realized for the first time that he was looking at a scar-less Prince Zuko.

* * *

**A/N**

**Sooooooooooooo,**

**what'd you all think?**

**Please leave reviews and **

**let me hear your thoughts **

**on this story so far.**

**Just a question I want to ask: Between this story and Shadow of the Day, which one do you like better and how do the two compare?**

**I just want to know :) **

**-kye. **


	5. Her TellTale Heart

**Glad you all have been enjoying this so far **

**chapter 17 of Shadow of the Day coming verrrryyy soon,**

**until then, enjoy chapter 5!**

Buildings lay in shambles, destroyed tanks and armor littered the streets, and enormous slabs of rocks had been pulled out of the ground. The fire nation was in ruins.

But still the citizens cheered, still they woke with smiles on their faces, still they honored their firelord. For them the eclipse was a victory. They had hundreds of water tribe and earth kingdom warriors in prison and the avatar had left in shame. To them, that was worth the extra gold it would cost to rebuilt their city.

And still the sun rose, shone its light down on the people who worshiped Agni. Still the servants and messengers bustled about the palace city, making things perfect for Ozai. Birds chirped, and the inhabitants of a certain palace were in high spirits. All but one.

Locked away in a darkened room and hidden under covers in a bed surrounded by a canopy, one girl lay curled in a ball. Her normally perfect hair was a tangled mess. Her dark eyes, usually lined with kohl were red and puffy. The tiny pointed nose was also red and runny.

It had been three days since the Day of Black Sun. Three days since the avatar led an invasion into the fire nation. Three days that Zuko had been gone.

When the invasion had been declared over, Mai had returned to her home with her parents. It was that night while preparing for bed that Mai discovered the rolled parchment, tied with red ribbon, place on her bed.

Before reaching the end of the letter, Mai's heart had been broken beyond repair.

Zuko had been all she ever wanted since they were children playing in the palace courts. Azula and

Ty lee would tease them endlessly but secretly, Mai always enjoyed it because deep down she knew it was true. She thought Zuko wanted her as well. When he was banished, it had been harder on Mai than anyone would have thought. She never wrote him though. She had a funny feeling that Azula wouldn't have appreciated it much...

So when Mai read the letter, she didn't know what to do with herself. For the first time ever, Mai didn't hesitate to let her emotions show and the tears came pouring out of her eyes. And she curled up and cried like a baby.

Three days later and her tears still fell.

…...

Tempers were in a right state at the Western Air Temple.

Since the night of Aang and Katara's fight, the two had been avoiding each other and hardly speaking. Katara had very nicely asked Haru to help her move Zuko, her charge, into one of the rooms in the temple. In a matter of minutes, she had the place transformed into a healing room.

Zuko had not regained consciousness from the day he came, but Katara could sense his heart beating and from her healing, she was able to monitor his vitals. Throughout the day, Katara managed to divide her chores and tasks evenly; cooking breakfast for the group, healing Zuko, mending clothes, healing Zuko, washing clothes, healing Zuko, cooking lunch, healing Zuko, maybe a nap (if she was lucky), cleaning something in the temple, fixing dinner, healing Zuko and then waterbending with Aang at night. It was tiring, but it kept her busy, and for that she was grateful.

Despite being busy, Katara had not lost her edge. She only pretended to not hear Sokka and Haru whispering behind her back. No doubt it was about her insisting to heal Zuko. Knowing Sokka, he probably thought she was being suckered again like the whole incident with Jet. Katara still got made whenever she thought about it...

It had been nearly a week since they had arrived at the air temple. Slowly but surely, the place was showing signs of people inhabiting it; pots and pans near the fountain, clothes strewn about each room, rocks Toph bended to make furniture. It didn't quite have the air of permanence, but it was nice.

One windy evening, Katara had just finished a healing session with Zuko, who still remained unconscious, and herself, Aang, Sokka, Haru, Toph, The Duke and Teo all sat around a blazing fire in the large common area. For the first time since the Day of Black Sun, they all just sat back and enjoyed the little that they did have. It was unfortunate that their parents were back in the hands of the fire nation and they all counted this as the greatest loss yet, but no one had ever gotten that close to the fire nation in history. For some odd reason, they were happy about this.

Things were still rocky between Katara and Sokka, but Aang had bravely stepped forward and apologized for his actions. He said he would wait for Zuko to come around before he started asking questions and demanding answer. Reluctantly, Katara accepted but still kept a level of distance between herself and the airbender.

While they sat around the fire, they munched on seal jerky and leechy nuts. Momo crawled from one person to another begging for treats and to be scratched under the chin. Gradually the sun went down until the only light was the blazing fire.

Katara got to her feet. "It's getting pretty late," she said dusting her clothes off. "I think I'm going to go in for bed."

Toph sat down her small wooden cup and turned an ear towards the rooms. "I don't think you'll be sleeping for a while Sugar Queen." she said, half of a smirk on her face.

Katara gave her a puzzled look. "Why not?"

"Because your fire breathing prince is finally waking up."

The rest of the group turned towards Toph. "You mean that little spoiled fire nation brat is finally up?" Sokka growled, getting to his feet.

"I just call 'em like I see 'em." Toph said with a shrug. "Or not." she added as an afterthought and took another sip of tea from her coat.

Katara's stomach flip flopped. Zuko was awake. She pointed a stern finger at the group. "I'm going to check on him and none of you had better follow me." she warned. Without another word she turned on her heel and quickly exited.

She entered his room quietly, not wanting to disturb him if Toph happened to be wrong. Then again, Toph was never wrong.

There, stirring slightly on the bed was the prince of the fire nation; scar-less, paler than usual, and very sick.

Katara approached the bed cautiously, until she was standing right above him. His eyelids flickered then slowly opened. Katara's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes went wide. Zuko blinked several times.

"Katara," he said hoarsely.

Katara tried to respond but all that came out was a choked up sob.

"Don't..." Zuko murmured weakly, "Don't cry 'Tara."

Tears running down her face Katara managed, "Zuko- I can't believe this..."

"I'm sorry 'Tara." Zuko closed his eyes again.

Katara took a seat right on the edge of the bed. "Why, Zuko?"

He sighed heavily, looking up to the ceiling. "I should have come with you that night by the pond. So much would be different. Look what's happened because of me. I'm a failure."

Katara's eyes softened. "No Zuko," she said placing a hand on his arm. "You're not. It's not your fault..."

"It is." he sounded louder, stronger. He switched his gaze and his amber eyes met her cobalt ones. "I've missed you so much 'Tara. Everyday was...torture." he reached up and placed a warm pale hand on her cool tan cheek.

Katara sighed into his touch. It was familiar. Very softly she spoke, "I've missed you too."

Unbeknowest to the two benders in the healing room, Toph silently retreated from the spot just around the slightly ajar door. She made her way back to the common area where Aang and Sokka were sitting alone around the fire; Teo, The Duke and Haru all retired for bed after Katara's leave.

"Well?" Sokka got to his feet. Aang followed suit, an anxious look in his eyes.

Toph looked down and steeled herself. After a second, she bought her milky sightless eyes and seemed to stare right at the Avatar. The one friend who had never lied to her, not even a small pointless harmless lie.

"Nothing." she said simply.

"What do you mean nothing?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Lower your voice," Toph threatened. Sokka pursed his lips and Toph went on to say, "He woke up, Katara was there and he told her that he left his father to help us."

For Sokka this simply would not do. "That's it? The little firebending jerk just thinks he can waltz up in the place with a few cuts and bruises, gain sympathy from Katara and then bam! He's one of us?"

Toph chewed her tongue. "She's not giving him sympathy,"_ she's giving him a little bit more. _Although she didn't add that last part. Toph turned her attention to Aang. "He can be of use."

"He has no place on Team Avatar!" Sokka said indignantly.

Toph ignored him, still talking to Aang. "You need a firebending master."

"You can't really be thinking-" Sokka scoffed.

Again no one paid him any mind. "He can teach you firebending."

After a moment Aang spoke. "Do you think this is a good idea Toph?" he said quietly.

"The worst thing he can do is challenge the Avatar, a waterbending master and an earthbending master." she said avoiding his question.

Aang regarded her for a moment. She stared ahead of her blankly. "We'll wait until tomorrow, Katara will probably have an opinion as well."

"Unbelievable!" Sokka sputtered, still ranting.

As Aang bade her goodnight, Toph turned back in the direction of the corridor where Katara was tending to Zuko. "A great idea," she muttered to herself in reference of Aang's choice to include Katara.

_Fraternizing with the enemy, oh Katara what have you gotten yourself into?_ Toph thought to herself as she too retried to her room.

….

After four days of post- Eclipse fighting, Azula decided that she had had enough of Mai foolishness. Azula felt she was long overdue in her "mourning the loss of her true love". Besides, there were lots of things to be done and who better to help Azula carry out her plans than her right hand girl?

So after being ushered into the small palace of Mai's family, Azula and Ty lee went to go and fetch their friend.

"Thank you so much for coming," Mai mother said kindly. "She's been in her room for days and nothing I say helps."

Azula responded with a cold smile. "Oh don't worry. I'm sure I can think of something to get dear Mai out from under her blankets."

Mai's mother smiled gratefully.

"Besides,"Ty lee said cheerfully as she climbed the grand staircase, "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Ty lee carefully opened the door. "Mai?" she said softly.

Mai hunkered lower into her ball of shame under the bed covers. "Go away," her voice sounded muffled to Ty lee, who pursed her lips in determination.

"Is that anyway to speak to your royal princess, heir to the throne?" Azula said, half mocking, half serious.

Mai erupted into sobs again. "Zuko always used to say that he was heir to the throne too!"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Oh Agni, spare me." Only because Mai truly was her best friend that she tolerated her in this state. Ty lee tutted silently,

"Mai, how many times do I have to tell you?" Azula said, speaking as if she were explaining to a child for the tenth time that lying is bad. "Zuko is a spineless, worthless little wimp that runs away and is the embarrassment of the Fire Nation."

This however, was not the right thing to say for Mai began wailing again. "He used to say that about you too!" her sobs were loud and her words thick with tears but Azula heard her clear enough.

"That bastard!" Azula spat. "I'll kill him!"

Ty lee gave a Azula a look and Azula extinguished the flames in her hands and turned towards the shaking lump that was Mai hidden under covers. She never was one for comforting, that was Ty lee's thing, but Mai was one of the ones who actually understood her and Azula really needed her for this next mission. But at the moment, it was Mai who needed her two friends.

"Mai?" Ty lee said tentatively. She perched lightly on the bed. "Do you want to talk about it? Will it make you come out from under the covers?"

Mai sputtered incoherently.

"I didn't catch that, Mai?" Azula said, confused. Suddenly Mai threw back the blankets violently and what a sight she was. Azula stepped back and Ty lee yelped and fell off the side of the bed.

They took in their friend's battered appearance and knew she truly was broken by Zuko.

"I don't get it!" Mai cried. She sniffed.

Azula raised a delicate eyebrow while Ty lee got to her feet. "Get what?"

"Why he would leave me!" Mai replied. "I mean, I'm _nice_!"

Ty lee gave a weird sort of nod. Azula stopped for a moment as if she were thinking about it.

"And I'm pretty!" Mai went on to say. "I'm a full fledged Fire Nation noble and I am the prettiest girl he'll ever meet! Aren't I pretty?"

Ty lee, true to her nature, got up and hugged the girl tightly. "Of course you're pretty Mai! Why else would Zuko have showed you any interest at all?"

Azula however, gave an uneasy smile. At the moment, with her hair all over the place, eyes puffy, makeup running and smudged, she was anything but pretty. Azula was feeling generous. "Would I be your friend if you weren't pretty?"

"So why doesn't Zuko love me?" Mai said softly, almost to herself. "I could have written him while he was banished I admit, but I was scared. How could I possibly comfort him? I shouldn't have been forward about him not having his scar, but he got so defensive." she looked up at Azula with big dark eyes. "I didn't mean to fall in love with him Azula."

The princess looked at her feet. In shame?

"What now?" Mai said helplessly. "I gave him my whole heart and he just took it and he just burned it right in his hands. He didn't even have the decency to tell me to my face!" Mai pulled the crumpled letter from her bed and brandished it at her friends. "A letter! All I got was a fucking letter telling me he had to 'move on' and some other worthless crap about his precious honor. I gave him everything I had and he leaves me with a fucking letter!"

Ty lee was at the point of tears. Azula carefully took the letter from Mai's hands, her face was stoic as she read it.

Ty lee patted Mai's hair affectionately as she cried on her shoulder. Ty lee normally got along with Zuko fairly well but this was beyond low.

Azula looked up from the letter. She took in Mai's battered appearance once more and Ty lee comforting her and it sickened her. She had had enough.

"That's it," she said finally. "Get up right now Mai."

Ty lee looked up, eyes wide. "Azula-"

"Shut up Ty lee." the princess said curtly. She turned to Mai. "Mai, I would think by now that you would come to terms with the fact that I do not associate myself with Zuko for a reason. Do you see what he is doing to you? That spineless traitor has taken you for granted and your resolution is to sit here and cry about it? I think not. So, you will get your noble ass out of this bed, take a bath, grab your weapons and I expect for you to meet me at the royal palace in exactly two hours. I have a mission that is of the utmost importance and you _will_ be there with me. End of story."

Mai rolled her eyes. "You're not my mother Azula."

Azula narrowed her eyes. "No, but I am the Fire Princess and for you to fall short of my expectations is you not supporting the Fire Nation. And I think we all know what happens when Firelord Ozai thinks someone does not have the country's best interests at heart."

Mai scoffed and turned her head.

Azula regarded her for a moment. "I'm your friend Mai, I'd do it for you." At this point, Mai could tell Azula was being sincere. "And I assure you that if you come with me, I'll help you see your darling Zuko's true colors and I _promise_ that you'll never shed a tear over him again."

With that she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes Ty lee spoke. "I guess we should call the servants to run you a bath now?"

Mai barely nodded as she climbed out of bed. Both she and Ty lee were thinking the same thing: Despite her twisted nature, Azula always keeps a promise.

**A/N**

**At the beginning of this chapter, the scene with Mai, I couldn't help but think about this song by Rhianna called "Cry". It reminds me of Mai for some reason...**

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter!**

**I'm still working on chap. 17 of 'Shadow of the Day' so yeah...**

**reviews are welcomed! **

**:D**


	6. Saying Ok Makes the Heart Feel Safe

**Super glad you all are enjoying this so far! Thanks for the reviews a bunch! :D**

**Next chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Sokka paced back and forth in front of Zuko, who was kneeling very humbly in the middle of the common area. Aang, Toph and Katara sat back to the side while Sokka had his turn at interrogating the fire prince. "you expect us to believe that after a year or so of chasing Aang and us around, you've suddenly got a change of heart and decided to come and be apart of our team?"

"Yes." Zuko shrugged.

It had been two days since Zuko had woken up and they all figured now was a better time than ever to find out the real reason he was there.

"And you took a wild guess that we would be hiding out in this particular air temple," Sokka continued.

"More or less," Zuko glanced at the temple ceiling.

"And on your way here, you were attacked and robbed by thugs from the Earth Kingdom and some nice lady, who happened to be a healer, fixed you all up and healed your scar?"

"That's what I said," Zuko replied.

"But when you left her home, you were ambushed again by different Earth Kingdom thugs,"

Zuko nodded.

Sokka smirked. "Not a lot of people like you, huh?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Apparently not,"

Before Sokka could continue, Aang got to his feet impatiently. "This is not solving anything Sokka. Toph could just tell us if we're lying."

For a brief second, Zuko's eyes met Katara's. He hadn't known that they had a living lie detector in their midst. What if the blind girl revealed everything?

Toph spoke up. "You're right," she said to Aang. "I can tell if he's lying."

"And?" Sokka intoned.

"He's not lying." Sokka made a sound of contempt and Katara's breath hitched. Toph shrugged. "Sorry it's not what you want to hear Snoozles, but apparently people can change and despite how big of an idiot he may be, he's not lying right now."

"But I'm telling you from personal experience that he can't be trusted!" Sokka exclaimed.

"What personal experience?" Katara asked, slightly frustrated.

"I'm sorry Katara," Sokka said sardonically. "do you not remember the pirate episode?"

Zuko looked down quickly and Katara flushed quickly. _I'll save you from the pirates,_ Zuko seemed to be saying inside her head.

"What happened with the pirates?" Toph asked curiously. Unlike Aang and Sokka, she was able to pick up Zuko and Katara's apparent unease and embarrassment.

"This...honor seeking maniac-" Sokka began. Zuko cut him off.

"I made a deal with some pirates to help me track them down because she stole a scroll from the pirates but then they double crossed me and tried to take the Avatar back to the fire nation and claim the reward themselves."

"Katara _stole_?" Toph said with an evil grin. "Who'd have thought?"

"That's what I said!" Sokka threw his hands up. "I mean, she put us all in danger to learn some silly little water bending trick." Katara crossed her arms and glared at Sokka.

Toph shrugged. "Well, it was in the name of bending. Totally understandable Sweetness. Besides," Toph went on to say. "stealing isn't bad if it's from pirates."

"Unreal." Sokka mumbled.

"Again," Aang said loudly. "we're losing focus. Who cares what happened back then. We need to move forward."

"I say he should be allowed to stay and teach you firebending Aang," Toph said seriously.

"But-" Sokka started.

"I also say that people who aren't Aang's teachers shouldn't have a say in who teaches Aang." Toph said pointedly. That shut Sokka up. He glared fiercely at Toph then turned on his heel and stomped off to his room.

Aang seemed to breath a sigh of relief. He turned to Katara. "What do you think?"

Katara looked down, then up at Aang. "I don't think Zuko is a threat. He should stay with us so you can learn firebending."

Aang nodded. He addressed Zuko. "These are some of my closest friends and my waterbending and earthbending masters. I trust their judgment completely because I know they would never lie and they would never suggest for you to be here if they weren't one hundred percent sure that you only had this group's best interests at heart. You can stay with us Zuko and I will accept you as my firebending master. But I warn you Zuko, do not make us regret this decision."

Zuko nodded and stood up. He bowed to Aang. "Thank you Avatar Aang. You have my word that I will not fail you and I will do my best to show you the ways of firebending so that when the time comes, you can defeat the firelord and end this war."

Aang returned Zuko's bow. Zuko bravely stepped forward and held his hand out. After a moment, Aang shook it, a smile on his face.

Katara silently thanked Tui, La and Yue.

…..

Sokka stayed in his room for the next few days. Aang was amazed that Sokka had been able to miss so many meals until Katara revealed that after every meal she would leave a bowl outside of his door and when no one was looking, Sokka would stick one hand out and retrieve the food, returning the empty bowl later.

Surprisingly, Zuko got along with the rest of the group very well. He and Haru made fast friends and would often hold long conversations and their respective bending arts.

When the day came for Aang to begin his firebending lessons, both Katara and Toph showed up to watch the lesson. Katara nervously chewed her nails and Toph stared blankly ahead, trying to focus on every detail.

"Firebending is not controlled by power alone, but by the breath." Zuko said, repeating his uncle. "Before you can learn any form of firebending, you need to first master the art of meditation. This will help you clear your mind completely and become one with the fire within you."

Then he sat down lotus style and motioned for Aang to do the same. Aang sat opposite him. Zuko pulled a small candle out of his pocket and placed it upright on the ground in between them and lit it.

"I want you to focus on the flame Aang." Zuko instructed. "Take deep breaths in and when you exhale, transfer that energy to the flame."

"I'm not going to lie Zuko," Aang said readjusting his legs. "this seems really boring."

Zuko shrugged. "It is extremely boring. But my uncle Iroh is one of the most powerful firebenders and meditation seems to work for him so you're going to learn it as well."

"Well you can't beat that," Aang agreed and closed his eyes.

….

Life for the gaang had never been more different.

For one, they had more people on their team than usual. With the addition of Teo, Haru, The Duke, and now Zuko, Katara nearly fainted when she saw the pile of clothes to be mended and washed. They also went through food rations more quicker, and the place was generally more noisier.

If that wasn't enough, the fact that a spoiled, arrogant, banished fire prince turned reformed patron saint was living among them and teaching Aang firebending made things extremely awkward. It most likely wouldn't have been much of a big deal if Zuko hadn't originally tried to capture and harm them on several occasions. That said, Sokka was especially wary of him.

Most days Haru, Teo and The Duke made themselves scarce. Teo had been working on a project in one of the wings of the temple and The Duke and Haru usually joined him. Katara thought they were just being thoughtful of everyone else but Toph knew they only left because the tension everywhere else was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Everyone knew that it was impossible to keep a secret so they just didn't bother. However, one very stubborn waterbender and a very offset firebender took it upon themselves to test the theory that Toph didn't have to know everything. They had no idea how much this pissed her off.

Several times, Toph had caught snatches of conversation between the two of them. They were usually short cryptic remarks that she couldn't make sense of, but on a good day she got major details. Katara had obviously forgotten that Toph was an earthbender and she saw through her element because one night when she assumed everyone was sleeping, she decided to on a little walk. One that coincidently led her to Zuko's room. Toph lay motionless as she pressed an eager ear to the ground and listened hard.

"...I couldn't sleep," Katara said when a very alert Zuko opened the door.

Wordlessly, Zuko stood aside and ushered her in. Katara took a spot on the edge of the bed and Zuko sat down in a chair mounted to the wall. For a while they just sat there not really talking and Toph nearly fell asleep when Katara spoke up.

"I've been thinking about what happened, on the Day of Black Sun I mean."

"I've thought about it a lot as well." Zuko murmured. "I'm sorry about your father getting hurt. I still feel like it's my fault-"

"Don't," Katara intervened.

"But if I hadn't held you up in the library you could have healed him better and who knows what would have happened...

Katara sighed. She was silent for a moment. Toph rolled her eyes. So that's why the Chief was hurt so much- his daughter was too busy getting frisky with the prince. "What happened to the scrolls you were writing? The ones in the library?" Katara asked.

"I have them," Zuko told her. "the thieves that I encountered didn't have interest in them."

Katara chewed her lip. "How did you get hurt Zuko? When you turned up here, you were hardly recognizable to any of us."

"I was unrecognizable?" he said bitterly. "Really? I wonder why."

Katara clicked her tongue impatiently. "You know what I'm talking about. This has nothing to do with your scar."

Zuko didn't answer right away. Toph pressed her ear harder against the floor, feeling for the tiniest vibration. She knew Zuko was overly self conscious about the scar on his face. Having no issue with looks, Toph didn't particularly care but she knew something was different...

"When I left the Fire Nation I stole a war balloon," he paused. "but, I had to stop to get more supplies. I ran into a few ah... acquaintances and they weren't to happy to see me. I didn't think they would recognize me. We got in a bit of a fight and one of them managed to get me while I was dealing with another one. They robbed me but left the war balloon and I managed to get all the way here without dying. The rest is history."

Katara seemed to be speechless. "You.._.stole _a war balloon? Then you got robbed? And you still managed to man a war balloon _by yourself_ and get all the way here with a hole in your stomach? That's...crazy!"

"I've been through worse." Zuko said shortly. Toph had to hand it to him. He sure had guts to go through all of that. The guy was nearly dying and he still came here with the pretense that they would let him stay.

"I'm sorry about the way my brother and Aang acted." Katara apologized. "I guess we were all a little surprised to see you."

Zuko's good eyebrow raised. "You mean you weren't expecting me? After I promised I would follow you anywhere?" Toph's eyes widened. What was this? Promises?

Katara's breath hitched. "No. Yes. I don't know." she bit her lip nervously. "I knew what you had promised me but...I wasn't sure if you would leave the palace after you had just been accepted back in. But, then again- you always seem to find me. Wherever I am."

Zuko looked at her. "You know why 'Tara." _And why is that? Toph wondered. _

Katara looked at the ceiling, the floor, the bed, anywhere but Zuko. "When you went back to the palace. How did your father and Azula react... react to it?"

Zuko let out a long sigh. "I could have kept the scar and gotten nicer insults." Toph winced. _Ouch._

"Surely someone thought it was a good thing?" Katara said quietly.

"Of course Katara." Zuko said sardonically. "Mai told me to my face that I was 'all better now'. That I could go and rule the Fire Nation properly because I didn't have some blasted scar marking up my perfect face!"

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about it." Katara said after a minute. "If you didn't want me to heal it-"

"That's not what I said." Zuko cut her off. Then he shook his head and got to his feet, starting to pace. "I shouldn't have expected her to understand. I guess I just...I don't know, she's better off now."

Katara inclined her head. "Maybe when the war is over, you two will reconcile." In a quieter voice she added, "she is your girlfriend, right?"

Zuko scoffed. "When I left the Fire Nation, I left everything and everyone behind. The only person I need to reconcile with now is my uncle."

Again they were silent. Minutes later, Katara spoke. "I'm sorry Zuko. I can't help but feel like-"

"No, it's alright," Zuko said. "Agni what am I saying? I should be apologizing to you Katara. This is all my fault. It is so stop shaking your head." He stopped pacing right in front of her. He kneeled in front of her and looked up into her watery blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't say that enough to you 'Tara." Toph's eyes widened even more. She suddenly had the urge to hear all the details. What exactly was he sorry for? Besides trying to sell them to the Fire Nation on several occasions?

Almost as if Zuko heard her thoughts, Zuko said, "I'm sorry for what I did in Ba Sing Se. You trusted me and I blew it. I'm sorry for all the times I've hurt you physically and emotionally. I'm sorry that I ever pushed you away." Katara sniffed and Toph knew she was crying. _Just like Katara to cry,_ Toph chuckled to herself.

"Zuko, I don't-"

"More than apologizing," Zuko cut her off. "I should be thanking you. For healing me," he gently took one of her hands in his own and placed it right over the place where his scar once was. "For keeping all of your promises even when I didn't keep mine. For having faith in me."

"I never gave up on you Zuko," Katara said, her voice thick with tears. "I never did. People would have called me crazy if they knew how much I believed in you, how much I believed in us."

"I know I messed up," Zuko said, his voice muffled because he was kissing the inside of her hand. "and I'm so bad at being good, and I have a temper that makes a Komodo -rhino seem nice, but _you_ get me, that's all I care about."

Katara placed her other hand on his cheek. She studied him for a moment. "Will you be ok Zuko?" She asked.

"I'll be ok if we're ok." he replied. His eyes searched her, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't he asked, "Are we ok 'Tara?"

She chewed her bottom lip. Toph could feel Zuko's heart racing. Toph had to admit that hers was as well; this was pretty intense eavesdropping she was doing. then nodded. "Yeah, we are." he smiled and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair. She slid off the bed, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly.

Very bravely and very quietly he said, "I love you Katara."

Then Katara pulled away and looked away. She sat back on her legs not looking at him. "Hey," Zuko said softly reaching for her hand. "hey," he said again. When she didn't respond he took her face in his hands and gently turned her head so she could see him. There were tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry 'Tara," Zuko used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that fell. "I'm serious. I love you and I want you to know that. I do."

"You've said that before." Katara whispered. "And then you still left me. Can I really believe that you won't leave again?"

"I meant every word I said to you on the Eclipse." Zuko said. "Everything that I've written about you, the promises, I'm not going back on my word."

Katara closed her eyes and the tears still fell. She wanted to believe him...that's all she wanted to do.

"Katara," Zuko leaned his forehead down and rested it against her own. "I need you to know that you can trust me. I want you to trust me." He wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed small circles in her back. "Do you trust me Katara?" he murmured.

Katara opened her eyes and looked at him. In his eyes she could see the intensity there, she could see every promise, every 'I love you,' every word ever spoken to her reflected in those golden orbs. "With my life." she replied.

Zuko let out a breathy laugh and kissed her forehead and hugged her even tighter. "I love you Katara."

he said again.

She nodded and reached her arms up to circle his neck. "I love you too," and she pressed her lips against his and instantly became overwhelmed with him.

Toph slowly sat up. She processed all the information she had just gathered. Katara healed Zuko and then he left but promised to come back which he obviously did and now apparently the two are in love. Toph thought about how strangely Katara had been acted prior to the Eclipse and she now knew why. Of course Katara would be a bit nervous to see Zuko- her best friends were trying to destroy his family! Then her thoughts strayed to Aang. He would be crushed when he found out about this. But wait- was she supposed to tell him? Drop hints that the love of his life was confessing love to the enemy in the privacy of his room? He was her best friend. She knew he would do the same. But, Katara was also her friend and who was she to get in the middle of anyone's happiness or misery?

So Toph made her decision right there. She wouldn't say a word to Aang. But Katara wouldn't hide her love affair from him either.

"The luck of the blind..." Toph muttered to herself as she settled back down. For the rest of the night, she tried to block out the sounds of Zuko and Katara reconciling with each other.

* * *

**A/N**

**Yikes! I didn't mean for this chap to take so long,**

**but now here it is!**

**Good Zutara? Yes? No? ;) **

**Hope you enjoyed and please leave some awesome feedback!**

**:) **


	7. Love the Way She Lies

**Chapter 7? Yes I think that's right.**

**Wow, I haven't updated in a looooooooooooooooong time...do I still even have any readers out there? heheh, maybe I should have warned you guys (that are still there) that I'm prone to extreme writers block and will go AWOL sometimes... yeah...**

**Um...I guess all I can say now is- **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Toph awoke the next morning, she made it her goal of the day to get her wanton friend to fess up. She was already cranky because Zuko and Katara kept her up for half the night. Well now she was going to bug the shit out of Katara.

"Sugar Queen!" she called loudly as she made her way to the common area where Katara was busy stirring a pot.

She hardly looked up. "Hmm?" she answered, adding dashes of this and that to the porridge. "You're up early Toph. Usually I have drag you out of the bed."

Toph spat on the ground and scratched her head. "I decided to wake up with you now! Well, I couldn't sleep _at all_ last night."

"And why's that?" Katara asked, stirring the thickening porridge carefully so as to not splash it. She paused for a minute. "Should I add a little sugar?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Sure why not?" She plopped down on the ground. Katara's back was too her and Toph tried to get a feel of her emotions this morning. Her heart wasn't going a mile a minute. She didn't feel guilty. _Hmmmm_. "Well, anyway, I couldn't sleep because I kept hearing things."

Yep, that was a small jump in Sugar queen's heart. "Hearing things?" Katara repeated.

Toph nodded. "Yep, it sounded like it was coming from that hall over there. Voices." Toph pointed in the direction she knew Zuko's room to be.

"Maybe, Haru was up late again talking strategy with Teo." Katara suggested, turning back to breakfast.

Toph narrowed her eyes. So she was going to play _this game_... "Hmm, you could be right," she thought of another tactic; Getting the guilty to confess with lies of your own. "But I remember it being so _detailed_ and... _heart wrenching_ that I went to investigate. Haru was sleeping like a baby."

She heard Katara's sharp intake of breath. She could almost feel the gears turning in her head as she thought of another excuse. _Let her try_. "So what do you think Sweetness?" Toph asked happily

Katara opened her mouth to speak when Aang, with the help of his trusty air scooter, breezed into the common area.

"Aang!" cried, half happy that he chose this moment to enter, half weary to see him. Toph narrowed her eyes.

"Hi Katara!" he chirped happily, landing on the ground. "Toph's up too? This is early for you, we usually have to drag you out of bed!" Aang chuckled and Katara laughed uneasily.

"Yeah yeah, Twinkle Toes." Toph spat on the ground again. "Why are _you _up so early?"

Aang shrugged. "Ever since I started my firebending training, I've been getting up earlier. Zuko says it's a firebender thing. Apparently they rise with the sun because that's their source of energy."

"That's annoying," Toph remarked. She hardly liked getting up in the middle of the afternoon.

"I guess," Aang shrugged. "But Zuko says I'll get used to it. Right now I haven't mastered firebending, but when I do, it'll be like second nature." he frowned a little. "That also means I'll get less sleep too, being a waterbender and all."

Katara nodded in understanding. "Oh right, the full moon and such."

Toph got to her feet. "As much as I enjoy discussing sleeping patterns with you two, I'm going to go and find someone just a tad bit more interesting."

"Don't be rude," Katara admonished.

Toph shrugged. "Just saying," she snapped her fingers. "I know! Zuko's room is near Haru's right? I'll go ask him if he was up late last night talking with anyone. Maybe he'll know more about those voices I heard."

"Toph-" Katara muttered, almost threatened.

The young earthbender wasn't fazed in the slightest. "Unless you know Katara? Twinkle Toes?" if she could see she would be giving Katara the stare down of her life.

Taking a deep breath, Katara shook her head. She turned back to her pot. "I have no idea, Toph."

Toph barely hid the smirk on her face. Happy, but not entirely satisfied, Toph turned away and left Katara, Aang and a very burnt pot of porridge.

….

"So,"

Zuko jumped a little and turned around to see the little blind earthbender leaning against the door frame to his room. "Hello." he murmured, and went back to placing the blankets on his small cot.

Toph cocked her head to the side, trying to get a read on his emotions. He was jumpy, most likely from her surprising him. She waited for his heart rate to go down before addressing him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to sit and chat for a while? What's that? You don't mind? Thanks!"

Zuko could only watch in slight alarm as the girl made her way into the room and propped down lazily on to his new made-turned- messy bed. He sighed and took a spot on the floor, leaning against the wall.

"What's on your mind?" he asked awkwardly, not sure what to talk about- or why she was talking to him in the first place.

"Weeeeelllll..." Toph produced a single blade of grass from her pocket and placed it in her mouth and Zuko grimaced, instantly reminded of the rebel Jet. Toph, being blind, didn't see his look and reclined comfortably on the bed. "you know how I'm blind right?"

" Well I've noticed and-"

Toph chuckled. "Silly me of course you know. What I mean is do you know that I have super enhanced abilities?"

"Super enhanced...abilities?" Zuko repeated, unsure.

"You got it Hot Spot."

Zuko shook his head. "Hot Spot?"

Toph sighed wearily. "Yeah, I'm toying with ideas for your nickname. Hot Spot just isn't clicking. Don't worry I have a long list."

Zuko felt his face redden. He hated nicknames. He sincerely hoped she would never think to call him...Zuzu. Agni he hated his sister.

"Anyway," Toph continued, chewing her blade of grass. "since I can't see, I naturally have more sensitive senses than anyone else. It's a biology thing."

"That's um, good to know." Zuko added. "Can I ask what exactly you want? I was kind of cleaning and and minding my own business here..."

"I'm getting to the point." Toph snapped. "Hold your ostrich-horses Fireball," Toph shook her head. "Nope, not feeling that one either."

Zuko cleared his throat.

"ANYWAY," Toph removed the grass from her mouth and adjusted herself on the pillows. "I have super hearing, and to be honest, it makes me cranky as hell."

"And why is that?"

Toph shrugged, "Just knowing that there's always something you're going to hear that you really be be better off not knowing." Zuko could understand that. Often hearing what you don't want to hear.

"Understandable." Zuko nodded.

"I know," Toph remarked. "But you know what else makes me crankier?"

Zuko shook his head, then answered when he realized she wouldn't see the movement. "No?"

Toph sat straight up on the bed and turned towards him. Zuko could swear she was looking right at him. "People who keep secrets that _need_ to be told."

Zuko raised a curios eyebrow. "And what makes you think these secrets need to be told? They must be secrets for a reason."

Toph smirked and reclined back once more. "Oh trust me, I know they're secret for a reason, but that reason alone isn't enough to break someone's heart in the process."

For an odd reason, Zuko felt a hollowness in the pit of his stomach. "So why does this make you cranky?" he asked, drawing a knee up to his chest.

"It keeps me from sleeping." she answered simply. Zuko, about to ask her why, was cut off by Toph sliding off the bed to begin pacing. "I'll give you an example Flame-On, let's say there's a guy, we'll name him...Taang, yes that's a random name. Now Taang has a huge job to do- he wants to, I don't know, end world hunger."

"Um sure." Zuko said, not quite sure where this was going.

"Now, Taang is a very well rounded person- but he's got one major human flaw."

"And that would be...?" Zuko asked, part of him humoring her the other half genuinely interested.

"Self deception," she replied matter-of-factly. "You see, he's totally focused on his goal, but he keeps getting distracted by his very nice and very wanton friend. Her name is...Zatara! Yes that fits nicely. So Zatara distracts Taang, and she knows he has feelings for her, but she keeps going on with her life like she has no idea. And since she doesn't warn Taang off of his advances, he keeps on thinking she likes when he plays sweet with her."

"Plays sweet?" Zuko questioned.

"You know, random kisses, giving her goo-goo eyes..._begging_ for her affection. Which, mind you, she gives him because she doesn't know how to tell him she's just not that into him."

"Seems rather selfish." Zuko mumbled. Toph heard him loud and clear.

"Oh it's terribly selfish." Toph said seriously. "You know why? No? I'll tell you. Because he has a job to do. End world hunger. And she's the one positive force he feels he can completely rely on. He loves her. Do you hear me? He _loves_ her. And he thinks she feels the same. And he knows she wants to end world hunger just like him, so he keeps going on just for her, because whenever things go bad she's always there to pick him back up. He knows that when he ends world hunger, there's a high chance that she'll finally say yes to being with him. For good."

"Her love is his driving force." Zuko said to himself. He was no fool, he know exactly what Toph was talking about.

"Yes." Toph nodded. "Now let's say Zatara decided that she didn't love Taang as much as she thought she did. Instead she found love with another guy, we'll call him...Kuzco. Now Taang and Kuzco used to fight a lot because Kuzco's family would steal food from already starving people and take it for themselves. And that didn't sit well with Taang. But finally, after _much_ convincing, Kuzco saw the error of his ways and came to the good side. With Taang. Now they both want to end world hunger. So they fought together against other greedy people, both believing that one day they would end world hunger."

"And what of Zatara and...Kuzco?" Zuko asked.

Toph replaced her piece of grass with a new one and shrugged. "They decided, for some stupid reason, that they would keep their love from Taang even though they both knew of his affections for Zatara. But one day, they got caught doing some very...naughty things. Taang was furious. He was angered that his new friend would revert back to his old ways and steal what wasn't his. But most importantly, he was sad, because the girl he thought loved him so much was too afraid to tell him that she didn't love him at all. Because of their betrayal, he severed all ties with Kuzco and his family and they began fighting. You know, emotions make people crazy. So because he lost focus because of a silly crush on his end and a few lies on their end, the world went hungry because he lost his drive."

Zuko gulped. Now he knew the girl was trying to send him a message. "That's really unfortunate."

Toph got up off the bed and stood right in front of him. She leaned down close to Zuko's face and he could swear her milky green eyes could see right through him.

"And you know what sucks most about it?" Toph said quietly.

"What?" Zuko was honestly afraid of what the girl would say.

"She doesn't deserve him. There are other girls out in the world who would do anything for him to just spare a little of his time for them, ones who would love him unconditionally and never, _ever_ lie to him. But he'll never realize it because he can't let her go. And she doesn't deserve him at all."

Toph's words were filled with such emotion that all Zuko wanted to do was reach out and comfort the girl. But from what he knew of her short temper and brashness, she would never allow it. Instead he settled for the only thing that seemed appropriate to say at the moment.

"I'm sorry Toph." he said softly. He meant it.

"Toph straighted up. "Don't be sorry." she walked over to the bed where the covers where strewn about. Feeling around, she managed to straighten them out over the small cot.

Zuko got to his feet but didn't follow her as she made her way to the door.

She spoke over her shoulder. "Just don't be as stupid as the people in my story. Either stop it before it gets out of hand, or be a man and tell him your intentions."

At a loss for words, Zuko just nodded. She left the room and Zuko collapsed on the bed.

…...

Mai sighed audibly as she looked out over the railing of the war zeppelin. In the distance, a large boiling lake emitted a constant cover of steam.

"Why are we visiting the Boiling Rock again?" Mai asked Azula. The regal fire princess was busy staring out at the prison, a cruel smile on her face.

"Because Mai, there are a few people there I'd think would prove useful in our pursuit of the Avatar."

Mai rolled her eyes. "No offense, but aren't you a little tire of hunting down the Avatar? I know I am."

Azula narrowed her eyes and turned towards her friend. "Stop complaining Mai. Maybe you don't realize that if we do not capture the Avatar and end him for good, he could be the downfall of everything the Fire Nation has fought for."

"Aren't you excited to see your uncle Mai?" Ty lee said cheerfully as she balanced on the railing of the zeppelin.

Mai gave her a deadpan look.

Azula gave her a curious look and turned around to completely face her friend. "Look Mai, I thought we agreed that you would come with me on this final mission? Once we find the Avatar, we'll find Zuko. Then I can convince him to join us again like he did in Ba Sing Se and you can get your prince back." Azula scoffed. "Of course, you can give up now on being Firelady because father would never make him Firelord."

"But Princess Mai is better than just Lady Mai isn't it?" Ty lee added with a grin. "I would love to be a princess. Mai you're so lucky!"

Azula gave Ty lee a cold smile. "Don't worry Ty lee. When father passes the crown to me, I have a special title for those who have stuck by me loyally."

Ty lee clapped her hands excitedly and jumped from her perch on the railing. She put a comforting arm around her dark friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Mai, I'm sure Zuko misses you. Maybe it's just a phase he's going through. I know when I ran away from home my parents thought I was going through a phase, I kind of thought I was too. But then I realized that I loved the circus! I loved the adventures and all the new friends I made. I'm happy they didn't look at me weird because of how flexible I am. I think that's why I didn't make much friends at the Academy. There was this one girl who would always tease me. Was her name Rai? Ren? Hmmm..."

Mai groaned out loud. She shoved Ty lee's hand off of her and went inside the zeppelin. Ty lee frowned at Azula, a hurt look on her face. "Was it something I said?"

Azula gave her a look. "Don't about Mai, Ty lee. She'll come around." She gave Ty lee one of her rare, sincere smiles and Ty lee laughed.

"You're right. When is Mai ever not gloomy?" she said with a small laugh.

Azula knew the answer to that question. She narrowed her eyes as she eyed the approaching boiling lake. _Whenever Zuko was around_.

* * *

**A/N**

**Whew, I knew that I had what it takes to keep going with this story! **

**I really hope I still have readers and reviewers out there, and for **

**anyone new, just jump on the bandwagon! **

**I don't know why but I just went back and looked at previous reviews**

**and somehow that just made me want to finish this story. **

**So pat yourself on the back if you were a part of that...**

**It's still early, barely 10:30 am, maybe a can even get another chapter**

**in today. Bear with me please, and thanks for your reviews :) **

**-kye* **


	8. And Let the Truth Be Told

Can't apologize enough for the wait you all had...Just please forgive me, and I can guarantee you'll see another update by next week...

Well, chapter Ocho is here...so, enjoy!

* * *

As the almost full moon shone through the window, Katara couldn't help but feel restless, for more reasons than one.

It was well after midnight, yet the waterbender was wide awake and pacing in her small room in the Air Temple. After dinner, Zuko had asked her to wait up for him as he passed her his empty dinner bowl. Katara was positive no one but Toph had noticed her heart rate jump or the blush across her cheeks as she nodded her head a fraction of an inch.

She wondered what Zuko wanted to talk about...or if he even wanted to talk. She felt her face heating up as she involuntarily thought of her and Zuko doing...things. She stole a glance at the bed and almost felt her dinner coming back up.

It's not that she didn't find Zuko attractive enough for such...activities. But it was the principle thought. Having that kind of contact with him would be awkward because while she guessed he was plenty experienced from his years with Mai, she was nowhere near his level. Katara mentally kicked herself. She didn't even know where their current relationship stood. If their even was a relationship...

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the soft knock at her door. She continued her pacing and nearly screamed when she turned around to find herself face to face with Zuko.

"Zuko!" her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the sight of firebender in front of her. "I..you scared me."

"I'm sorry," he said keeping his voice low. "I knocked but you didn't answer so I came in." he regarded her for a moment. "Are you alright?"

Katara nodded quickly. Like she was going to tell him otherwise. "Yes I'm fine." she turned and made her way to the bed. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Zuko gulped. He took in her appearance. She was breathtaking in a simple blue robe with her hair loosely braided over her shoulder. Zuko could see a bit of the white fabric beneath that he knew to be her underclothes. He pushed mental images from his head. He came here tonight with a purpose, he reminded himself.

"I..I did want to talk to you." he stammered, then corrected himself. They needed to set things, whatever 'things' were, straight. "No, we've got to talk."

Katara gave him a weird look. "Ok." She looked around nervously and perched on the end of the bed. "Sit with me."

Zuko nodded and made his way to the bed. He sat a little less than a foot away from her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Zuko had been rehearsing what he would say to her ever since Toph's story. He didn't understand why he had to though, in the past, whenever they would chance to meet, the words would always come so easily when he talked to Katara. Maybe it was the concept that his next words to her would keep her from being with him. He blamed Toph.

"What are you thinking about Zuko?" Katara asked, breaking him of his thoughts.

"You." he responded, almost involuntarily. He watched the slight surprise in her eyes, but she hid it well, as she always did. "I'm in love with you, but you already knew that." he chuckled softly. He looked up to see her glance away.

"I love you, too Zuko." Katara said. "Why are you telling me something I already know?"

Zuko wondered how he would phrase this. He knew ultimatums did not sit well with the waterbender. And to just tell her that they had to tell Aang or he would go...well that was just unacceptable.

"Because I have to do the honorable thing here Katara." He took a deep breath. "How am I to teach the Avatar firebending, be a mentor to him...if I can't be honest with him?"

Katara didn't speak, she just looked up at him. Her deep eyes, the ones that rivaled that of the ocean, stirred something deep in his core. He continued to speak.

"It's no secret that Aang has feelings for you. You know this, and yet...you still went and found love elsewhere. And with someone completely opposite you."

"What are you getting at, Zuko?" Katara asked, slightly afraid of what he would tell her. She knew very well how Aang felt about her. And for the life of her, she couldn't see how he could be so naïve to not realize that she had never once returned those same feelings.

Zuko regarded her wearily. "I want to be with you. For as long as I can. But...we have to tell Aang. It's the only way I can bear to face him."

"It'll break his heart." Katara said with a frown.

"You mother him." Zuko laughed quietly.

"He's never had a mother." Katara reminded him. "I lost my mother, and you did too. But at least you knew her. Can you imagine never knowing her at all?"

"I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now." Zuko admitted. "My mother always brought out the good in Ozai. He wouldn't have scarred me, or banished me if she was still with us. She would have never allowed it."

"I'm sorry." Katara reached her hand up and with her thumb, lightly massaged the place right under his previously scarred eye.

"Stop saying sorry Katara," Zuko murmured. He eyes slid shut as he relaxed under her touch. He reveled in the fact that one day, this could be his. One day, if fate allowed, he would be able to relax under her touch for the rest of his life. If only...

"We have to tell Aang." he breathed. Katara removed her hand and he opened his eyes. "It's the right thing to do."

"I can't stand to hurt him, Zuko." Katara said helplessly. "What would I say to him?"

"You could tell him the truth." Zuko said seriously. "He deserves that much. You can tell him that you do love and care about him, just not the way he feels about you."

"You make it sound so..simple." Katara looked at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Toph told me, that his love for you was his driving force." Katara looked up at him, questions in her eyes. "Because he's got so much weighing on his shoulders, fighting for peace, saving the world, restoring his people, his love for you makes him stronger."

Katara shook her head sadly. "Toph said that?"

Zuko shrugged. "In so many words."

"I can't do this." Katara shook her head more vigorously. "Not after that. It will crush him."

"Or it'll make him stronger." Zuko added. "Uncle once said that if something doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger."

"Your Uncle is a wise man." Katara sighed.

"Yes he is. I'm sorry I've ever taken him for granted." Zuko looked down in shame. But oh if his Uncle could see him now...

For a while they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Zuko debated pressing the issue with Aang further, but he knew that would only make her dig her heels in more. So he would wait. As long as she felt on the fence about it, he wouldn't do much to push her off.

Somewhere during their quiet time, Zuko had pulled Katara close, wrapping a safe, warm arm around her, letting her know that he would always be there. And also letting her know that he was the one comforting her...not Aang.

"I'll tell him." Katara said at last. "But not until he knows the basics of firebending. That way if he gets too upset...and he takes off or..you leave, he'll at least know all four elements."

"If that does happen..you know I'll follow you anywhere right?" Zuko just needed her to know. Whatever happened, he would NEVER stop loving her.

"I know." Katara replied. "And I would follow you, too. Until the end of the world. And then into the Spirit World as well."

"Or...when we end this war, you can follow me into a new era. One with peace, and happiness."

Katara locked eyes with him, her blue eyes seemed to stare right through his gold ones. "I'd love to."

* * *

"I'm afraid Princess that I do not understand the grounds for your visit."

Azula, Mai and Ty lee had reached the Boiling Rock by midday and were now currently strolling the halls with Mai's uncle, The Warden.

"Oh it's nothing serious." Azula said smoothly. "There's just a few prisoners here I would like to talk to concerning the Avatar and his whereabouts."

The Warden cocked a curious eyebrow. "I was not aware that any of the Avatar's friends were in here. I thought that prisoners caught during the eclipse were kept in the Capital Prison."

"Well, Father seemed to think that putting them in the middle of the Fire Nation's most secure area was the best option. I can't say that I agree. Here, they will rot."

Ty lee pretended not to hear the level of viciousness in her voice.

The Warden turned a hard eye on the young princess. "Very well, Princess. Who would you like to see first?"

Azula glanced at Mai. "There's a girl. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Her name is Suki, I believe."

The Warden gave a cruel chuckle. "Ah, the young brunette. I'm well acquainted with her, if I do say so myself."

Mai swallowed bile in the back of her throat. Ty lee placed a small hand on her shoulder that she shrugged off obvious. Mai ignored the hurt look on her friend's face.

Azula held up a well manicured hand to prevent the man from saying anything more than she wanted to hear. As long as the girl suffered as much as possible that was enough for her. "Say no more. Just show us to her cell."

The Warden nodded and led the girls in silence to a seemingly deserted area of the prison. He stopped outside of a huge metal door. "This is where we keep those who fought against us on the Day of Black Sun. All those acquainted with the Avatar.

"How fitting, Zuzu will already have a spot picked out when we find him and his little friends." Azula smirked at the look of hurt that flashed across Mai's stoic features.

The Warden pulled a key from his pocket and opened the huge door. On the opposite side, were four heavily armed guards. They all bowed at the sight of the menacing Princess and the Warden. He continued to lead them through a dank, metal passage where another door stood. Once again, the Warden extracted a key and opened the door. Four more guards stood amidst a long row of jail cells.

In the cell closest to the door, Ty lee saw a man hunched over, his back to them. She felt a surge of pity. The whole thought of prisons and jails was scary to her, but this...this was unnatural. She had been through nearly the entire Boiling Rock on their way down here, and she heard the noises. The shouts and jeers from the prisoners within. But down here, as the Warder led then past rows and rows of cells, they were all silent. And she knew the cells held people, because she'd seen them. What was worse was, none of them looked at her or Azula or Mai or The Warden with hatred or disgust. They were just blank looks. Oddly, Ty lee thought she even saw some looks of pity. It was unnerving.

Mai recognize a few of the Kyoshi warriors, but she paid them no mind. She could care less. To her left, she saw Azula sneering at the prisoners. No doubt she knew most of them by face...

As they passed empty cells, Azula made mental notes of where she would put her enemies. _I'll put that pesky little earthbender there, except I'll burn her feet first...Then I'll put that sorry excuse for a warrior there; or maybe I'll just put his boomerang through his heart... And that water tribe girl. She'll go in that one. No, maybe I'll keep as a special toy to play with..._

"Princess." Azula was snapped from her thoughts. She looked up to see that they were standing in front of the Kyoshi Warrior's cell. "Should I stay-"

"No." Azula replied sharply. "We can find our way back." The Warden nodded and left, after opening the cell.

Azula stepped inside and she ignored the chilly air. There, lying on the small cot was the warrior who she so easily impersonated while taking down Ba Sing Se. The cell was big enough to allow Mai to sulk in the corner, and Ty lee to keep safe distance from the princess if she got violent.

Azula watched the girl laying on her cot. She looked completely at ease with her left arm pillowing her head and her right arm resting on her bended right knee. The fact that she seemed so calm in the face of Azula upset, yet intrigued her. Not for long.

"Get up," she spat through her teeth. "We're going to have a little chat."

She raised her head a fraction of an inch to see, then went back to her original position. They heard Suki give a single, hollow laugh. "Well well well, if it isn't Crazy Bitch, Sulky Bitch, and Bendy Bitch."

Ty lee frowned a little at the crude nickname. Sure, she had a hand in landing the girl in prison, but it was ALL Azula. That was the only drawback to traveling with the Fire Princess. When people hated Azula, they tended to hate Ty lee and Mai as well. Not that Mai cared...

Azula eyes glinted evilly. "That's very clever. Did you think of that all on your own?"

Suki shrugged. "Sulky Bitch used to be Senbon Bitch, but some of the other girls thought that wasn't offensive enough. Flexy Bitch sounded stupid. But you," Suki gave that hollow laugh again. "You've been Crazy Bitch from the very beginning."

Azula gave a feral snarl and before anyone could see it coming, she had hurled a blue flame right at Suki. It landed on the wall right beside her bed, and right above her face. "You filthy peasant, I could have your head for that!" she yelled.

Suki was unfazed. "Oh really?" she sat up in bed, giving the girls a good look at her. Her brown hair hung to her shoulders, but it had lost it's shine. He bright, brown eyes were cold and seemed to burn right through Azula with the purest hatred. Even Mai regarded her wearily. "I'm so. Scared."

* * *

The following night at dinner, the occupants of the Western Air Temple were unusually quiet. Zuko and Katara not speaking. Aang and Toph not speaking, and Sokka ignoring the lot of them. Haru, Teo, and the Duke wisely did not try and force conversation the teens. That would only lead to awkwardness none of them cared for.

After dinner, Katara busied herself and pretended to not see Sokka wander off after Zuko. If he attacked the firebender, she was well aware that Zuko could handle his self.

Sokka found Zuko hanging out with Appa on the ledge of the temple. It was surprising, at the least, that the huge beast got along with Zuko so well. Many nights, Zuko just sat with Appa. He didn't talk to him like Aang did, but he liked to think they had a certain level of understanding.

"Hey Zuko,"

Zuko looked up to see Sokka standing above him. He nodded. "Sokka. What can I do for you?"

"I was uh, wondering if I could ask you something." Sokka stated firmly, as if to say he would ask it anyway. Zuko shrugged, and the warrior took a seat next to him. "Where do the Fire Nation keep their prisoners?" he said simply.

Zuko started for a moment. That was the last thing he expected from Sokka. "The Capital Prison is where most prisoners are sent. Why do you ask?"

Sokka shrugged nonchalantly and looked around. "Just wondering. But you said most prisoners. Where is everyone else?"

Zuko shook his head. "How about you tell me why you're asking? Then I'll see if I want to disclose that."

Sokka stared at him hard, his blue eyes just as piercing as his sister's. Then they softened and he looked down. "It's my dad. On the Day of Black Sun he and the other warriors stayed behind as prisoners so the rest of us could get away. I just want to know where he is."

Zuko shook his head. "Prisoner of War. You're better off not knowing. Trust me."

Sokka looked up sharply. "No. You'll tell me where he is. I can handle it. Did they...kill him?"

"No they didn't kill him I'm sure. But...where he is. It's not very pleasant."

"Tell me!" Sokka said fiercely.

Zuko looked at Sokka, the fierce determination in his eyes. If someone knew where his mother was, but refused to tell him, he would be having the same reaction. In reality, he had been having that same reaction his whole life...

"The Boiling Rock." He said finally. "The most secure place, in the entire Fire Nation. It's a prison, located in the middle of a boiling lake in a volcano. They send people with the most crimes against the Fire Nation there. Prisoners of War included."

Sokka looked down. Zuko recognized the thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sokka going there would be suicide. There's no way anyone could sneak in there unnoticed."

Sokka got to his feet. He cast a skeptical look down at Zuko. "Who said I was sneaking in?"

…...

That night, Zuko couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of Katara, Aang and...thanks to Sokka, the Boiling Rock. He didn't know which was driving him more crazy. The prospect of revealing to Aang that he loved Katara, or the fact that Sokka might be stupid enough to attempt a rescue mission to the Boiling Rock.

Around midnight, he still couldn't sleep. This time, a nagging instinct in the back of his mind kept him from keeping his eyes shut for longer than a minute. He decided that a walk would calm his nervous energy.

On his way to the common area, he passed by Katara's room. The breeze from her open window kept blowing open the curtain that served as a door. He could see right in. She was laying on her stomach, with her face turned towards the wall. From what Zuko could see, she was in just her underclothes; the just barely see through white wrappings that she sometimes practiced her bending in. Just thinking about it, Zuko felt his pants getting a tad bit tighter and he bit down on his lip hard and moved away from her room.

Out in the common area, he heard a noise. Instantly, he was on defense, creeping towards the sound which was coming from just outside.

He poked his head around the corner and saw Sokka loading a bag into the same war balloon Zuko arrived in days ago.

"I thought I explained to you that going to the Boiling Rock was suicide."

Sokka jumped at the sound of Zuko's voice, but kept working. "Well, I'd risk it, if I could try and save my dad." He turned to Zuko. "Look, I'm sorry, but you don't know what it's like to have a dad that would do anything for you. I do. And now I'm returning the favor."

Zuko sucked in a breath. Sokka was right. He didn't know how that felt.

"You're right Sokka." Zuko admitted aloud. "But it's still dangerous. So I'm coming too."

Sokka's eyes got wide. Then he shook his head back and forth vigorously. "No. No, no. Aang's go to learn firebending. You've got to stay here and teach him."

Zuko scoffed. "Aang will be fine. But have you thought about your sister? How hurt she'd be if something happened to you? No, I'm coming to help. Plus, you need a firebender to work this thing." he gestured to the balloon.

Sokka sighed, but couldn't deny that it would be pretty hard to navigate the balloon without Zuko.

"Fine." he hissed. "Grab you stuff and be back here in 5 minutes."

Several moments later, the two boys were done loading up and Sokka was scribbling a note. He stuck it under a sleeping Momo and climbed in the basket after Zuko.

"Are you ready?" Zuko asked.

Sokka's eyes were wide, but he nodded. Zuko blasted fire into the small furnace, and silently as they could, they were off.

**A/N**

**So, I'm hoping you all enjoyed this. I took some stuff from the script, **

**but then I changed it too...I DONT OWN A:TLA...**

**And, If you all were wondering what was up with Suki, well, **

**you try being locked in prison with the Warden torturing you **

**and you see where all your sunshine goes...**

**Reviews are welcome, and will let me know that I still have some **

**readers out there who don't hate me for not updating...**

**No pressure :) **


	9. The Very Brave, and the Very Broken

**(^_^) Hugs for all you wonderful people who reviewed **

**as well as people who simply read without reviewing...it's all good :)**

**And to clear up possible confusions: These events take place a day later, which means Sokka and Zuko had made it into the Boiling Rock already. You may not see the rest of the Gaang until next chapter...**

**And if I changed some stuff so it's not like the show..well, it's a fanfic; what do expect?**

**Thanks again for being so patient with me...here's chapter 9!**

* * *

"I'm going to ask you one more time, and I don't usually give out second chances, _where is the Avatar_?"

Azula stood above the Kyoshi warrior, blue flame enveloping her hand.

Suki lay in a heap on the floor. She was covered in a cold sweat and her breathing came in quick, shallow bursts. For the better part of an hour, the warrior had been tortured on information about her friends. When Azula had come to her cell for the first time yesterday, she had tried getting Suki to talk. But, since she didn't know anything, there wasn't much she could tell. She hadn't known anything about the Gaang's plans to invade the Fire Nation on the Eclipse. She had been in prison since Azula had impersonated her on her way to taking down Ba Sing Se.

But today, Azula had come back with a new determination to make Suki talk. No matter what. Aided by Ty lee, who had blocked Suki's chi and made it impossible for her to move an inch on her own, Azula had been alternating between burning Suki's limbs and hair, and kicking, punching and clawing at any visible skin she could find. Tough as the Avatar she idolized, Suki never broke, and she never talked.

Ty lee was getting anxious. She wondered how long could the girl possibly keep this up? Either Azula would kill her eventually, or she would find out what she wanted to know...and still kill her.

Mai had never been more bored in her life. She had long since gave up trying to make sense of her friend's motives. She had come to the verdict that Azula was crazy. Not the kooky, eccentric crazy like the earth King Bumi, but the kind of crazy that drove a person to do unspeakable things. Such as torturing people for sport. Even the bored noblewoman could tell that Suki didn't know where they were. Even if she was playing tough by not talking.

"Where is he!" Azula demanded once more. She gave a swift kick to Suki's stomach, forcing her on her stomach. "I asked you a question!"

Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest Azula. She's not talking."

Azula gave a sound of frustration and turned towards Mai, angrily spewing fire out of her mouth. Mai avoided the inferno by simply stepping half an inch to the side.

Angered even more, Azula landed a more powerful kick in the same spot, forcing Suki on her back this time. Her chest heaved heavily. Azula dropped to a crouch, right above Suki.

She flicked her fingers and a small flame appeared at her finger tips. "You better start talking now Baby Doll, or else I'm going to gauge out your eyes, stuff them down your throat and then burn your tongue while it's still attached to your mouth."

Ty lee shuddered. Suddenly she was beginning to question a lot of her personal morals.

Suki weighed her options. She figured, one way or another, Azula would kill her. She could talk now, and waste her breath telling the Princess that she didn't know a damn thing about Aang and his friends, or she could continue to mock Azula with her silence and die choking on her own eyes. Judging by the crazed look in the girl's golden eyes, she knew Azula was _not_ above doing such an inhumane act.

Suki felt a dull throbbing coming back into her body. The only advantage of having Ty lee block all her chi was that it paralyzed her, allowing Suki to essentially feel none of the pain Azula had inflicted on her.

"Fine," Suki's voice was raspy from the shouting she did in the beginning. But no more. She would die, she had already accepted that, but she would die as a warrior that did not give the Fire Princess the benefit of knowing that she had broken her. No, Suki would die protecting her friends in anyway she knew how. "You want me to talk? Then I'll talk."

Azula's eyes gave a wild glint and she leaned closer to Suki. Perfect. "I'll talk." Suki whispered, her voice hoarser than ever. "I hope you rot in hell, you psychotic bitch. Even if I did know where the Avatar was, I would rather DIE than sell him to you. So you can go and fuck yourself while you keep looking, because I can guarantee that you'll meet your end before he meets his."

The cell went quiet, the only noise being Suki's deep breathing, she was resisting the urge to cry out, the dull throbbing she felt earlier had come full force now. She could feel every kick, ever burn, every punch all over again. But she had vowed: she would not die screaming for this Princess.

Just as Azula was about to snap, it was Ty lee would pulled her back. She struggled to pin her against the wall of the cell. She had no idea she was almost as strong as Azula.

"What are you doing Ty lee?" Azula screamed. "Get your hands off of me you traitor!"

"No Azula stop it!" Ty lee shouted back. "Can't you see what she's doing? She wants you think she's given up. So you'll kill her."

"An easy way out." Mai said in her monotone voice.

Ty lee nodded hastily. "Don't kill her yet, Azula. Make her suffer. Keep her alive while you kill all of her friends."

Azula stopped struggling. She stared long and hard at Ty lee and it was like meeting a new person. She had no idea that her bright, bubbly friend could have such a dark side to her. She agreed with Ty lee nonetheless. She would prove this girl wrong. She would kill the avatar first, and bring Suki his head as proof.

Then she would kill her.

"Fine." Azula said. Mai looked up interested. Azula had always done things her way. She was definitely losing her edge...

Ty lee watched Azula approach Suki. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, she pulled her foot back and kicked the girl at her feet harder than she had ever had before. Suki hissed in pain as she landed against the far wall. That would definitely leave a mark, she thought sourly.

Azula turned and made her way to the cell door. She pulled it open and looked over her shoulder, a smirk plastered on her face. "I'll be back, Baby Doll." she almost sang, even as malice dripped from every word.

Through the pain, Suki managed to give her own sinister grin. "I look forward to it, Princess." she spat, hatred poisoning her words.

Azula glared at her but left the cell, Mai quickly following her as if nothing happened. Only Ty lee remained. She took a few tentative steps towards Suki, but then deciding she wasn't much of a threat, quickly hurried over to her, dropping to her knees by her.

"You must be very brave or very stupid." Suki had never heard the perky acrobat sound so urgent. A few jabs and she felt nothing once more. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to paralyze you or the pain _will_ kill you."

"Why are you helping me?" Suki asked suspiciously. "You tried to kill me."

Ty lee shook her head impatiently as she jabbed Suki all over her body. "No, no. In the forest? I didn't try to kill you, Azula did. I never fight to kill."

Suki made a sound of contempt.

"Listen, Suki." Ty lee whispered. "I'll sneak back in in a few hours to renew the chi blocking. When you get out of here, you can find a healer and you should be good as new."

"I'm not getting out of here." Suki managed. She told herself that those were not tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"You will." Ty lee said forcefully. "I don't know why, but I feel like something big is going to happen. A change of events if you will. Anyway, you'll be safe, and out of jail, I'm sure."

"I appreciate your help," Suki said while trying to see what limbs she could move. None. "And I owe you a life debt, but you're Azula's friend. She trusts you. Which means I can't."

Ty lee looked hurt for a fraction of a second, but she recovered quickly. "I deserve that much." she got to her feet. "I'll be back."

And with that she left Suki alone, although her parting line wasn't nearly as threatening as her friend's.

* * *

"You know, I wouldn't have let you tag along if I knew you were going to get found out so quickly." Sokka mumbled as he landed another punch into the bedroll Zuko held against his chest. "I mean I don't get it. We planned- _I _planned it out perfectly!"

"Cry about it." Zuko said angrily. "How are we supposed to find your dad now? You complain about me, but you don't exactly stay out of trouble yourself. I'm willing to bet you wind up in the cell next to mine."

Zuko swore as he felt one of Sokka's punches actually hit him. "You little-"

"Hey what're you doin' in there?"

Both boys stopped at the sound of knocking against the cell door. Sokka quickly snatched the pillow away and grabbed Zuko in a choke hold as the door opened revealing the guard that had accompanied Sokka down to Zuko's new cell.

Things had been going so well. He and Zuko had touched down safely at the prison, snuck in, and managed to parade around like guards for almost a full day. That is..until Zuko went and attacked a guard for harassing a female prisoner.

That's where it all went downhill.

Zuko was then arrested, and placed in a cell. Now, Sokka had to worry about rescuing two prisoners, although it was looking pretty tempting to just leave Zuko there. After all, once the Warden got wind that he was holding the banished Fire Prince in his prison, no doubt the man would guard him himself.

So now Sokka, still in disguise, had used the excuse, "just want to rough this guy up," in order to gain access to Zuko's cell. But now-

"Hey, The Warden wants this prisoner." The guard said gruffly.

"But I was just-" Sokka babbled in an attempt to gain more time.

"Now!" the other, bigger guard growled. Sokka then let get of Zuko as if he were hot rocks and slipped out the cell silently. He cast a guilty looks towards Zuko, who was being dragged off in the other direction. He took a deep breath as he walked down the semi deserted corridors trying to plot out his next course of action.

For the whole time he and Zuko were in the prison, they had scoured almost every cell, but had found no sign of Sokka's father. He was beginning to think the whole thing had been a complete waste, and now to add on to their problems, he had to find a way to bust Zuko out, and get them both out of the prison unnoticed.

Walking, but not really paying attention, Sokka finally took notice of the silence around him. It was quiet. Really quiet.

Sokka continued walking, not really knowing where he was going but determined to find every nook and cranny in the place. He rounded a corner and continued down the long corridor, there was a huge metal door at the end.

With his curiosity peeked, he approached the door with caution, wondering which despicable criminal could be lurking behind the door in such a desolate part of the prison. Sokka raised his helmet up and pressed his ear to the door. All he could hear were the sounds of guards talking.

He pulled his head away, slightly happy that he hadn't heard the rabid breathing of some deranged criminal, but leery at the thought of more guards. Even he had doubts about how long his disguise would last. Zuko had already been caught...

The metal door opened. There stood three guards. Sokka's eyes grew wide.

"You here about the prisoner?" The male guard asked. He was as huge as the Boulder, and as mean as Zuko on a bad day.

Sokka gulped. "I..uh...yes. Sir."

One of the female guards gave a husky laugh. Sokka winced, he wondered if all female guards sounded as manly as her. "You know Rao, they do this every time."

The other lady guard chuckled as well. "Send the wimpiest, dorkiest, newbs to come and handle prisoners."

Sokka felt himself blush. He wasn't _that_ small...

"Come on, kid." The other woman said with a smirk. "I think you can handle this one. She's got a little kick, but I'm sure she won't be too much of a problem now."

Sokka nodded and followed the guard down the corridor. She didn't try and make small talk and Sokka was pretty glad.

They came to another metal door and the guard tapped four times. A few seconds later it swung open and the stepped inside.

The corridor was lined with cells, and it was eerily quiet. Sokka felt uneasy. Usually the prisoners made noise.

"So um...these cells all empty?" Sokka asked.

The guard chuckled and shook her head. "Oh no. Most of the people in here are prisoners of war, or idiots that committed treason against the Fire Nation."

Sokka paled. Prisoners of war. His dad could be behind one of these cells. "But they're so quiet." he stated.

She snorted. "Yeah. We like to joke and say they're giving us the silent treatment. Like it'll do a damn thing when the Firelord kills their Avatar. Then, they'll really be silent."

Sokka didn't respond.

At the end of the corridor, she stopped and turned to Sokka. "We don't know what's wrong with this one. The Princess was in here herself earlier interrogating her. She may not even be alive."

"The P-Princess?" Sokka stammered. He hoped to all things Holy that she wasn't talking about the Fire Princess.

"Yeah, Princess Azula asked to question her specifically." She lowered her voice and leaned in to Sokka. "We could hear the screams all the way from our post. Then it just got silent."

Sokka swallowed, he could feel himself sweating. "And I'm supposed to...?"

The guard rolled her eyes. "Take her to the infirmary you, idiot. Get her checked out, see if she's gonna make it. If she's a goner, Dr. Shiu will take care of the rest."

Sokka nodded. The guard opened the door and they entered the cell quietly. There, hunched in the corner, was none other than Suki.

* * *

"I'm sorry Mai." Zuko sighed. It seemed like he had been saying the same thing over and over again.

He still couldn't believe he got caught. After all the careful planning, he let his stupid ego or whatever it was get in the way. He was glad that he helped out the woman being harassed by the crude guard, Katara would have been proud of his chivalrous act. However, at the cost of him getting found out, putting their entire mission in jeopardy. Sokka was almost as red as his scar used to be when he watched Zuko being dragged off.

And the fact that The Warden could still recognize him without the scar was scary.

The first thing The Warden did was remind him of a bounty that the Firelord had placed on his wayward son's head, promising a hefty load of gold to the person who brought him home. After that, he also took the pleasure of telling him that Princess Azula was also visiting the prison. The third thing he had told Zuko was that he was sending him to have a chat with his dear niece, who coincidently was Mai.

As the Warden shoved Zuko into the cell and into the wooden, hard backed chair, he looked at him with cruel smile and said, "Whether or not I tell the Princess you're here depends on this meeting."

Zuko took a deep breath. That was cool. No pressure.

When Mai entered the cell, Zuko steeled himself for the blow up that would surely come as soon as she laid eyes on him.

However, the blades master was far more composed than Zuko gave her credit for. She simply looked at him, with that stoned cold look in her eyes, and shook her head sadly.

"Mai, I can-" Zuko started.

"Don't bother." she cut him off harshly. From her sleeve pocket, she pulled out the letter Zuko left for her. He felt his heart sink. He always knew that wasn't the right way to do things.

"You leave me with a letter, saying that you're running off to join the Avatar. You realize that makes you a traitor to your country don't you?"

"Yes Mai, I know that." Zuko said with a sigh. "But I have to do this. How can I stand by while the Firelord tries to destroy everything? There were four nations for a reason. Balance. This world needs balance, and wiping out every other country save the Fire Nation, will not benefit anyone."

He looked deep into her eyes, trying to make her see that what he was saying was the truth.

"You left me Zuko." Mai said softly. "I thought you loved me. You _told_ me you loved me."

Zuko felt his shoulders slump. "I did love you Mai."

"Did?" Mai repeated, her eyes growing big. "You did love me? Don't you care anymore?"

Zuko was silent. Mai folded her arms across her chess and narrowed her eyes at her ex- boyfriend.

"Who is it Zuko?" She asked quietly. Deadly. "Who's got your heart so tight in their hands that you would leave me and your country and your throne?" She regarded him for a moment. "Is it the little blind earthbender that travels with the Avatar?"

Zuko snorted. He couldn't even bring himself to think about Toph that way.

"No?" Mai answered for him. "Then is it the waterbender Zuko? The one that the Avatar pines after?"

Zuko was stubbornly silent. Apparently, that was all the answer for Mai.

"It is isn't it?" She replied, hurt. "Answer me Zuko!" she demanded.

"Yes!" he yelled back, finally holding his own against her. "Yes, it's her. I love her, and we're going to be together."

Mai looked taken aback. She shook her head as if in denial. "Oh that was the wrong answer, Zuko." she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

* * *

**A/N**

**Oh no, cliffhanger...**

**Sorry guys, I had to post this, even though it's a crazy cliffhanger...**

**Anyway, part two will be up shortly, so don't lose hope. **

**R&R, thanks a bunch guys C: **


	10. A Method to the Madness Within

**Glad everyone enjoyed chapter nine, **

**and thank you so much for the reviews! **

**Chapter 10 awaits you good people :) **

**(And just because you all are so cool, this chapter is extended, much longer than usual) **

…**...**

Sokka swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to keep his composure. "Is she...dead?" he asked the guard.

She shrugged walked over to the corner where Suki lay. In the darkness of the cell, it was hard to tell much. The female guard took her toe, and nudged her in the shoulder. Suki gave a little shudder and then stilled, they could hear her breathing.

"Yeah she's good." The guard said nonchalantly. "Let's get her down to Doctor Shiu." she then went to grab Suki under her arms. "Are you going to stand there or help me carry her?"

Sokka snapped out of it. "Right." he went and grabbed Suki's legs and together they made the journey back through the corridors.

The cells were all still strangely quiet, but through the narrow slits on the doors, Sokka could see that all the prisoners were looking out, their eyes cold, hard, and full of hatred.

Sokka felt his heart drop into his stomach. He and Zuko had come here to break his dad out. He now felt guilty because he hadn't spared a thought to all the other prisoners that were in here. He looked around, meeting the eyes of the prisoners as they walked past each cell. He hoped they saw through his mask and read the sorrow in his ocean blue eyes. If they did, they ignored. To them, Sokka was just another Fire Nation Guard holding them prisoners.

He sighed heavily.

They continued out, past the other two guards Sokka had first met and down another corridor.

"So," Sokka began, trying to sound casual. "You know, I haven't been here long, but just wondering why there's an infirmary in here? I mean, if I was the Warden, I wouldn't be treating the prisoners with medicine if they were sick."

Sokka hated talking like that about prisoners, like they weren't people. However, a long time ago, before his father went away to the war, he had told them that a lot of people fail at going undercover in enemy lands because they couldn't act their part. Even it meant contradicting your morals, you had to make your enemy believe you were one of them.

The female guard shrugged and shifted Suki in the process. Her eyes remained shut. "We all wondered the same thing. I mean, I don't give a damn about these prisoners, they're in here for a reason. But the Warden says 'dead prisoners are unpunished prisoners'. So, when they get sick or something, we get them back in just good enough condition to where they won't die, and then we send them on back to their cell so they can finish their sentence. Or until they die for good."

Sokka nodded as if he understood. In all actuality, he thought this Warden guy was a sick and twisted human being. Suddenly, he was very sensitive to why Zuko was so eager to give up his life in the Fire Nation. He figured if all people had the same mindset as The Warden or Ozai or Azula, then who wouldn't want to leave?

Several flights of stairs later, they stopped in front of another metal door, this one slightly smaller. The female guard used her foot to knock on the door.

A man dressed in deep red armor opened the door. "Is she alive?" was the first thing he spoke.

"Yes." Sokka replied, hoping that that answer wouldn't change.

"Then bring her in here, and put her on the table." The doctor said dismissively.

After placing Suki on what looked like an operating table, the female guard turned to Sokka. "I'm going back on post. She'll be fine when The Doctor gets done with her, then you're supposed to put her back in her cell." Sokka nodded and watched her leave.

As the Doctor went about giving Suki a once over, Sokka took the time to observe his surroundings. The infirmary wasn't big. It had a long counter with several tools placed on it, a numerous amount of cabinets lined the walls and four other metal tables were in the room as well.

Sokka turned his attention back to Suki. In the light of the room, he was able to see the bruises that ran up and down her arms and around her neck. If she wasn't wearing any clothes, Sokka could imagine that there would be bruises almost everywhere on her body.

Sokka felt his heart breaking. He didn't know what he would do without Suki. Seeing her like this, it made him want to scream, cry, and find the person responsible for doing this to his love.

Of course, that very person was the one who had been tracking them down like polar bear dogs for the longest.

Sokka approached the Doctor. "So, um..how are you going to fix her?" he asked, in what he hoped was a controlled voice.

The Doctor shrugged. "The bruises will heal, the broken ribs will heal. I'll wrap her up in some bandage, give her a little dosage of the numbing solution we have, and she'll be ok. Well, ok enough to enjoy her experience here at the Boiling Rock." He chuckled and looked at Sokka. Sokka took that as his cue to laugh with the man.

The Doctor turned away and went about fixing syringe. Sokka watched every move closely, trying to make sure this man did not harm Suki. He cleared his throat.

"So this pain numbing stuff..is it new?" Sokka asked, trying to coax information about Fire Nation healing methods out of him. "Tell me about it."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow but didn't question; he just continued his work. "Well, it's a simple thing really. An herbalist that supplies us found a substance that numbs all feeling in the body. Pain, fatigue, even hunger and thirst. You just don't feel anything." 

Sokka's eyes widened. "It's temporary though, right?"

"Oh of course." The Doctor set the syringe aside and put out a cloth and began cleaning Suki's left arm. "It usually last for about, four hours. Then, whatever procedures we have to do will have been completed without them feeling pain. For instance, if I had to stitch up this one here, I give her the medicine, she let's me know when she can't feel a thing. I could stab her in the stomach and she wouldn't feel it, unless she looked down." He rubbed her arm, and then smacked it once. Sokka watched as the man inject Suki with the medicine.

The Doctor looked satisfied. He looked at Sokka and grinned evilly. "Oh this has always been my favorite part."

Sokka didn't like the look on his face and only noticed the large bucket of water as the Doctor dumped over Suki's face.

Sokka made a noise of contempt and the Doctor turned to him. "What? Oh I'm sorry, did you want to do that?" he turned the bucket upside down and frowned as only a few drops fell.

…...

Zuko lay on his small cot in his cell. Every since Mai had ordered the guard to take him back to his cell, he had been counting down the seconds in his head until his sister would blast open the door, preparing to kill him.

While alone in the dark cell, he though that maybe telling Mai about Katara wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done. If they ever got out of this place, which was looking more and more impossible, it would be a miracle if Mai didn't hunt Katara down like an animal.

Throughout the whole trip, he had tried not to think about his blue eyed beauty back at the Air Temple. But that was before he had gotten caught, found out he was on the same island as Azula and Mai and that they hadn't seen Sokka's father yet.

Now, since it would only be an act by the most divinest that they made it out of the prison, Zuko had been thinking about Katara more and more. She was his incentive to escape, if only just to hold her again late at night, or whisper small 'I love yous' throughout the day. He wondered if she knew the effect she had on people.

His thoughts were interrupted when his cell door opened, he sat up quickly but the people who entered were not his sister and ex-girl.

"What are you doing?" it was a female prisoner, and she was trying to break free of the hold her captor had on her. Her clothes were soaking wet. "This isn't my cell. Get off me, you scum."

Zuko was confused. So far, the only people in this prison that knew he was a prince was Mai, Sokka and the Warden. Even then, it was highly doubtful that they would allow him a conjugal visit...

The guard removed his helmet, showing a wide eyed Sokka.

"Suki quit fighting, it's me!"

The girl stopped, and twisted around to get a good look at the Water Tribe warrior. Her eyes lit up. "Sokka! It is you!" 

Zuko sat back on the cot. No conjugal visit. "What's going on Sokka?" he asked, watching the warrior remove the cuffs from Suki and embrace her tightly.

"This is Suki. My girlfriend." Sokka said with a wide smile. "Suki, this is Zuko. We're busting out of jail."

Suki regarded Zuko. "You know, the Fire Nation has a prince named Zuko. But he had a scar..."

Sokka and Zuko exchanged uneasy looks. Sokka wasn't sure how Suki would feel about teaming up with the brother of the girl who nearly killed her. Twice.

"Suki, listen." Sokka placed a hand on either of her shoulders. "I know we all have a little prejudice in us, but now is not the time to judge. Zuko is the Prince."

"Ex- prince." Zuko added. Suki looked at him eyes wide with shock. "They banished me, now I'm teaching Aang how to firebend."

Suki marched over to Zuko in the small space. "Let me ask you this. Are you fighting for Aang, or are you fighting for the Firelord?" 

Zuko took a minute to think about her question. He looked her square in the eye. "I'm fighting for peace."

Suki smiled. "Then you're ok with me." she held her hand out and Zuko shook it.

"Good," Sokka said. He took a seat on the floor. "Now we can plan."

"We still haven't got any news on your dad." Zuko mentioned.

Sokka's shoulders slumped. "I know. I'm starting to think he's not even here. None of the other prisoners know about him."

Suki spoke up. "If he isn't here, then he's definitely back in the Fire Nation with all the other war prisoners from the Day of Black Sun."

Zuko shook his head. "No. Special prisoners are sent here. War Prisoners included. Either your dad is here and no one's talking, or he's on his way. We have bigger problems, too."

"Azula." Suki and Sokka said at the same time.

"You know, your sister is the reason I'm in here." Suki said to Zuko. "She impersonated me while taking down Ba Sing Se, and then she nearly tortured me to death in here."

Zuko inclined his head. Except for a few bruises he saw, she appeared fine. "She must not have tried hard. Azula never leaves people in such good condition when she's trying to get information."

"That's the thing!" Suki exclaimed. "She did try. I've never felt so much pain in my life. I remember her pink friend, Ty lee helping me when Azula left, and then I blacked out. The next thing I'm know I'm being taking away by Sokka."

Sokka and Zuko shared a look of shock. "You said Ty lee helped you?" Sokka asked suspiciously.

Suki nodded. "She's kind of weird. She was so sure that I would be getting out of jail today...You guys aren't working together are you?" she asked.

"No." Zuko shook his head. "But she must be working against Azula. I never thought I would see the day."

Sokka turned to Suki. "Ty lee's right Suki. But we've got to get you to Katara as soon as we get out of here." 

Suki shrugged. "Except for the bruises, it's nothing serious. I feel...nothing strangely." 

"Exactly." Sokka took a deep breath. "You feel nothing because when I took you to the infirmary, the Doctor gave you some numbing solution. You can't feel a thing because of the medicine, but it wears off in about four hours, he said."

"Oh boy..." Suki looked down at herself. "Why are my clothes wet?"

"The doctor threw water on you to wake you up." Sokka explained. "It didn't look as fun as when Katara did it to Toph."

Suki chewed her lip. "I guess that means we better hurry up and get out of here. I would rather die than feel everything Azula did to me all over again."

"Don't worry Suki." Sokka got to his feet and pull her with him. "I won't let anything hurt you." he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her. Zuko ached for Katara.

Sokka put his helmet on. "I'm going to look for my dad one last time, then we're getting out of here."

…...

Sokka had just made around the corner from Zuko's cell when he ran into two husky guards.

"Hey you," one of them called. "You busy?"

Sokka gave a weird little shrug. "Just doing some patrols."

"We need some extra hands on the deck, we got some new prisoners coming in. Someone's gotta show 'em to their cells."

Immediately Sokka imagined seeing his father among the new prisoners. "Yep. I'm on it."

The two guards nodded and went on their way. Sokka rushed to the deck, where five more guards stood, watching the gondola approaching. As Sokka stood with them, he suddenly had an idea of how they would get off the island.

Minutes later, the gondola pulled into the small station and the new prisoners were ushered out quickly. Last in the que, was Sokka's father. He almost gave a squeal of delight. Quickly he rushed forward and joined the guards that were there to take the prisoners to their cells.

The whole walk to the various cells, Sokka kept an eye on his father. The Water Tribe Chieftain seemed fine, if not a little agitated, but then again, who wouldn't be? As far as injuries, Sokka was pleased that his father seemed just fine.

Once the last prisoner was safely locked away, the guards dispersed to finish up varying activities. Sokka looked around and found he was alone. He quickly backtracked until he found the corridor where his father was being held. It wasn't very far from Suki's cell.

After peering around uneasily, Sokka rapped quietly on the door then entered and quickly shut the door.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" He cried when he saw his father.

Hakoda jumped up and held his fist threateningly towards Sokka. "You take one step closer and I'll show you just how ok I am." he said menacingly.

Sokka remembered the helmet he was wearing. He took it off. "No dad, it's me!"

Hakoda immediately relaxed his stance and his eyes filled with tears. "Sokka, my son." he pulled the younger warrior into a fierce hug. It had been too long...

"What are you doing here Sokka?" Hakoda asked. "And where's your sister? She's not here is she?"

Sokka chuckled. He took a seat against the wall. "No, Katara's safe with Aang and Toph and Teo and the Duke and Haru. Me and Zuko are here though."

Hakoda looked confused. "Zuko? You wouldn't mean Prince Zuko would you?"

Sokka shrugged. "He was banished. So I'm not sure if he's a prince anymore. But he came to help us. He's teaching Aang firebending and everything. As hard as it was for me to accept him when he first wanted to join the Gaang, I've gotten used to him. He's good now."

Sokka's dad smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "If you can trust him, I guess I can too."

"Well, that's out the way," Sokka sighed. "But we still need a plan to get out of here. I found out my girlfriend Suki was held in here as well. Azula tortured her and almost killed her, but the Doctor gave her some medicine so she wouldn't feel any pain, but it'll wear off in a few hours."

"Sounds like she could use a healer." Hakoda said stroking his chin. 

"That's why we need a plan to get out of here so I can get her to Katara." Sokka said with a morose expression.

"I'm sure two Water Tribe geniuses can think of something to get us out of prison." Hakoda said with a wink.

Sokka sighed. "Then we better find two." Hakoda laughed and after a few seconds, Sokka joined in as well.

…...

Sokka hurried back to Zuko's cell. When he entered, he saw that Suki was stretched out on Zuko's cot with her eyes closed. Sokka quickly shut the door and rushed over to her.

"What's wrong Suki?" he looked from her to Zuko, who was leaning against the wall on the floor.

"I started to feel a little drowsy." Suki said with a huge yawn. "Like, really, really drowsy." she gave a small giggle.

Sokka looked at Zuko. "We were talking, and then she kinda tensed up and fell down. Then she started talking about how sleepy she was. I put her on the cot." 

Sokka sighed heavily. "Suki, I know you're tired, but I need for you to be up please. I saw my dad and we came up with a plan."

"Sokka that's great!" Zuko exclaimed. "What is it?"

"I can't explain it right now, I've got to go." he put his helmet back on. "Just go down to the courtyard with all the other prisoners when the bell rings."

Zuko nodded and Sokka left the cell.

Halfway down the corridor, he got an idea and turned around and made his way to the infirmary. He knocked on the door and put on a huge grin when the Doctor opened up.

"Hey doc," he said and entered. "I've got a little problem, can you help me out?"

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked. He looked Sokka up and down as if looking for any visible problems.

"Well, I just feel really...tired." Sokka said. He slumped down on one of the tables for emphasis. "I just want to sleep."

The Doctor regarded him for a moment. He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled a small container out. "Sounds like regular lethargy. A lot of the guards get it sometime."

"You got something I can take?" Sokka asked, praying it wasn't a shot.

"I have just the thing." The Doctor said with his creepy smile. From the container he pulled out a small red pill. He handed it to Sokka. "Take this, plenty of the guards come around this time of day looking for an adrenaline rush. It can get pretty boring working in a prison."

Sokka looked at the red pill. It seemed innocent enough, and in a weird kind of way, he trusted the Doctor. Albeit, his methods were pretty strange, and he could do without dumping buckets of cold water on his patients, but for the most part, he was a cool guy.

"Thanks." Sokka said with a smile. As he turned around, he pretended to pop the pill in his mouth. He felt it slide down his sleeve. He waved to the Doctor and left.

While walking down the corridor, he shook his sleeve and the little red pill fell out. He tucked it safely in his pocket.

Five minutes later, he arrived at the control booth at the top of the prison. He approached the man sitting behind the many levers.

Sokka cleared his throat. "The Warden wants you to let the prisoners out."

The guard looked up at him. "What? We're in the middle of a lock down!"

Sokka shrugged. "Ok, I'll be sure to tell the Warden that. What's your name again?" he asked, as he walked off.

"No wait!" the guard said hastily. "I'm just confused that's all."

Sokka nodded sympathetically. "I understand buddy. I am too. But the Warden is being...irrational right now. It's better to just do what he says."

The guard nodded. "You're right." As Sokka walked away, he saw the man pulling all the levers and releasing the prisoners into the huge courtyard.

…**..**

Zuko and Suki rushed down to the courtyard with all the other prisoners. Suki moved a lot slower, but they made it there without her collapsing.

"Now what?" Suki asked, gasping for air.

Zuko shrugged. "I guess we wait for Sokka."

At that moment, a man approached Zuko and Suki. Zuko immediately saw the resemblance between him and Sokka. He sincerely hoped he would not look as much like his father as Sokka did his.

"You must be Suki and Zuko." The man said, his blue eyes piercing two two teens.

Zuko nodded. "Yes. Are you Sokka's father?"

"Call me Hakoda." The Water Tribe man said with a smile. He led them away and into the shadows of one of the huge buildings. "Did Sokka explain to you the plan?"

Zuko shook his head. He winced inwardly when he saw Suki sink to the ground, resting her head against the building.

"Well here's what's going to happen-" Hakoda said, leaning in so they could hear him.

"We're going to start a prison riot!" Sokka said as he walked up, making Zuko jump a little. Sokka leaned down and gave Suki the small pill. "Here Suki, take this. It'll make you feel a lot better."

"A prison riot?" Zuko repeated. "Why would we want to do that?"

"It's a distraction." Sokka said simply. "We're going to use the distraction to take a hostage, and then escape on the gondola." 

"Sounds pretty risky." Zuko said uneasily. "Even if we have a hostage, the Warden wouldn't care."

"Not if the hostage was the Warden." Sokka said with a grin.

"Still sounds risky."

They all turned around to see another prisoner standing over him. He was easily as tall as Pipsqueak and almost as big. He had also heard their whole plan.

"I'm Chit Sang." he said with a smile, and extended his hand. Sokka and Zuko exchanged looks of alarm.

Hakoda stepped forward. He sized up Chit Sang. "What's risky, sir?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, how are we going to get the Warden?" he stated like it was completely obvious.

Zuko stepped up next to Hakoda. "First of all, there is no 'we'."

Chit Sang gave a skeptical look. "You all really think you can bust out of here on your own? I mean, you two are both pretty small to be handling the Warden."

Sokka frowned. He was right. Maybe his dad could take out the Warden, but it would be a fight. "Ok you're in."

"What?" Zuko exclaimed. "Sokka, _ that's _risky."

Sokka merely shrugged. "Ok Chit Sang, you think you can help us start a riot?"

"Piece of cake," Chit Sang said with a smile. "And thanks, I really appreciate this. It's been forever since I've seen my kids."

Hakoda nodded. "I know the feeling."

Chit Sang walked a few feet a way and grabbed a rather small and mousy guy. He raised him high above his head.

"Hey!" he called. All of the prisoners within earshot turned towards him. "RIOT! RIOT!" he yelled.

The slight buzzing sound that was the prisoners talking suddenly turned into a stampede of bodies all fighting and yelling for absolutely no reason. Chit Sang threw the man he was holding and walked back over to where Sokka and Zuko and Hakoda were standing with looks of utmost shock on their faces.

"Impressive." Zuko grudgingly.

"So." Chit Sang said calmly. "Now we get the Warden."

"Uh, boys, I think that's already covered." They turned to see Hakoda watching in amazement as Suki bounded off, leaping over the crowds of people and fighting her way past guards to get to the Warden, who was on the balcony over looking the scene below with horror.

Suki didn't know where the sudden burst of adrenaline came from, but the next thing she knew, she felt like she could take on anyone and anything.

She bounded across the courtyard and leaped high into the air, using the heads of the fighting prisoners as leverage as she lept from person to person. She made it to the ledge and jumped up, grabbing the metal bar with her feet and flipping herself over onto the first balcony. She came face to face with guards but that didn't slow her down in the least.

On the second level, she encountered another guard. She simply sidestepped him and kept going. Finally she reached the third level where the Warden was. Four guards came at her and she met their attacks evenly, despite her not being a bender, and simply threw them over the railing and into the crowd. Meat for the dogs below.

Before the Warden could even think to defend himself, he found himself being charged by Suki. She had him bound and gagged before he could blink.

"Sorry Warden, but you're my prisoner now." She said sweetly. She turned around to see Sokka, Zuko, Chit Sang and Hakoda running up, panting.

"That is some girl you've got there, Sokka." Hakoda said, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Tell me about it." Sokka said dreamily.

Chit Sang stepped forward and hoisted the Warden over his shoulder, ignoring his muffled protests. "Come on, we need to get to the gondola before more guards come. They all nodded and hurried up to the deck, where the gondola was located.

They ran across the deck quickly. The guards on patrol near the gondola saw the approaching prisoners and quickly sent a blast of flames their way, which Zuko blocked easily.

"Stop your attacks." Zuko yelled for them to hear. "We have the Warden."

Chit Sang turned around so they could see their leader. He tried protesting again but it was only a muffle. The guards quickly relaxed their stances and the group proceeded with caution onto the ramp.

As they all bustled onto the gondola, Zuko stayed behind and worked at kicking off the lever that controlled the machine. He managed to complete the tasks just as the guards were running towards him, fire in their hands.

With one last kick, he destroyed the handle and the gondola began moving. With a running start, he was able to escape the guards and launch himself at the gondola. Sokka reached a hand out and pulled him through the window.

"We did it." Sokka said breathlessly. "Suki, you were amazing!" he pulled her in a tight hug.

"I don't know what came over me!" Suki said with a huge smile.

"It was the pill I gave you." Sokka explained. 

Suki looked at him confused. "What pill?" she reached in her pocket and pulled out the small red pill Sokka had given to her. "This pill?"

Sokka eyes widened and he felt his jaw drop. "But how did...and what? And why didn't...?"

"Sorry Sokka," Hakoda said wearily. "You'll have to solve that mystery later. We've got bigger problems."

Zuko and Sokka rushed to the window where Hakoda stood. In the distance, Sokka could see a two figures, one clad in pink.

"Who is that?" Chit Sang asked.

"My sister and her friend." Zuko said, hatred creeping into his voice.

Down by the broken gondola lever stood Azula and Ty lee. They had gotten wind of the escape just minutes after it happened. Upon finding out her brother was escaping, the Fire Princess had made it her business to find him, and end him. She couldn't seem to find Mai anywhere, but Ty lee was capable enough.

Watching Zuko and his friends escape, Ty lee felt a growing sense of unease. Azula would not just leave it at that. As predicted, the Princess had grabbed the pair of cuffs hanging off a guard's belt and with her firebending, she was able to blast herself into the air, and grab a hold of the wire that the gondola ran on. With an thrust of her hand, she was able to use her blue flames to propel her forward.

Ty lee let out a resigned sigh and followed after her friend, running across the wire with only skill she could possess.

"So she wants a rematch?" Suki growled under her breath. She shook off Sokka's restraining hand and flipped out the window and onto the roof of the gondola. Ty lee landed in front of her. A few feet away, Zuko and Sokka stood face to face with Azula.

"Get back!" Sokka yelled at the girl. "You're out numbered."

Azula was unfazed. "I may be out numbered, but I assure you that I am not outmatched." her voice was sickly sweet, almost poisonous, Sokka thought.

"I don't want to hurt you, Azula." Zuko said, trying to reason with her.

Azula gave a loud laugh that pierced right through Zuko's heart. "Hurt me? When will you people ever learn?"

Then she attacked, and Sokka had to admit, it may have been two on one, but the girl could definitely hold her own.

"Suki, stop fighting me!" Ty lee cried, glad Azula was busy enough with her own fight to not hear her. "Please!"

"Why should I?" Suki replied angrily. She continued attacking the girl and was pleased when her foot connected with the girl's shoulder resulting in a loud crack. Ty lee stumbled backwards. Suki advanced on her, ready to strike. "You weren't the one locked in prison, being tortured by Azula and the Warden! And that's not even the worst part. How could you and your sick, little twisted friends dare try and impersonate the Kyoshi Warriors to do something as despicable as taking a city away from innocent people? I'm surprised Avatar Kyoshi doesn't strike you down herself!"

Ty lee blocked another kick with her foot and leapt away from Suki. She jumped inside to gondola to see the Warden breaking away from Chit Sang and yelling out the window, "Cut the line!"

She gasped and went back up to where Azula was fighting. "They're cutting the line!"

Azula stopped and looked back to see two guards pushing a blade back and forth over the wires that the machines ran on. Her eyes narrowed. "Then it's time for us to leave." and with another blast of fire towards her brother, she grabbed Ty lee and jumped off the roof, landing on another gondola some five yards away.

Zuko, Suki and Sokka looked on in horror as the two guards continued cutting the line. They were no where near the other side...

Out the corner of his eye, Zuko saw something small and silver whiz past the guards, slicing part of their arms in the process. It was Mai.

She quickly ran over, throwing more stars and senbon at the guards. She made it over to the roll of wire and knocked away the blade, stopping it from cutting the wire. The gondola began moving again.

"Who is_ that_?" Suki asked in awe.

"It's...Mai." Zuko said, not believing it himself.

"The gloomy girl with the knives?" Sokka asked, his face full of shock. "I thought she was friends with your sister?"

Zuko shrugged dumbly. He had no idea what was going on now.

Azula and Ty lee touched down back on the deck. Azula angrily turned to Mai. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Saving the guy who dumped me." Mai replied with her deadpan stare.

Ty lee's eyes widened in shock. Azula angrily huffed. "Mai this isn't about some dumb schoolgirl crush. You just let one of the biggest traitors to the Fire Nation get away because of a stupid crush. You will pay for this!" 

Mai shrugged and pulled out several blades from her sleeves. "Sorry Princess. But I love Zuko, more than I fear you."

Azula gave a feral snarl and made her own daggers of blue fire. It was finally at ends. She always knew Mai's infatuation with Zuko would be her downfall, and now she was falling fast. It only angered her more that Mai was standing there, like she actually had a chance of surviving Azula's punishment.

Just as she was ready to throw the flames at her ex-best friend, Ty lee cried out, "No!" and was quickly at Azula's side, jabbing her in every pressure point in her body. Azula felt herself falling to the ground.

"You traitor!" She cried out. "Both of you!" 

Guards surrounded Mai and Ty lee. "What shall we do with them, Princess?" one asked. Several rushed forward and carefully picked Azula up off the ground.

"Get them out of my sight, and let them rot in prison!"

Mai slid a sidelong glance and Ty lee. She never knew Ty lee would have the guts to stand up to Azula. Maybe all wasn't lost.

Azula was seething. While the guards carried her away she had one thought. _Friends are for the weak. I will kill them all. _

**A/N**

**Ok, so chapter eleven was actually part of this,**

**But I like to keep the chapters a decent size**

**So I split them up. That's why it took so long to get out (if you were wondering..) **

**So, I'll put up chapter eleven soon, once I put the finishing touches on it! **

**All reviews welcomed!**


	11. It's Only a Matter of Honor

**Chapter eleven...WOOT WOOT!**

**Enjoy!**

…**.**

"So...Mai's you're ex-girlfriend?" Sokka asked. "Well, I can kind of see it. I mean, you're gloomy. She's gloomy."

"All that gloominess couldn't have been healthy for your relationship." Chit Sang said wisely.

Zuko sighed and continued looking out the window. After they had safely gotten off the gondola, Zuko had discovered the zeppelin that his sister arrived on. They retied the Warden and left him in the grass, after knocking him unconscious, and quickly boarded it, relieved to find that there were no guards on board. They were now safely headed back to the Western Air Temple. It was late, and only Zuko, Sokka and Chit Sang had remained awake. They sat in what looked like the guard's lounge, eating what little of the food they found. The last they had seen of Hakoda, he was in the control room, steering the zeppelin. Zuko was impressed that the man could pick up on Fire Nation machinery so quickly.

"I'm just glad Suki's alright." Sokka said, his cheeks were stuffed with bread. "I can't imagine, I don't want to imagine, the stuff the Warden did to her. It just makes me want to go back and kill him myself."

"You're not that kind of person, Sokka." Zuko said shaking his head. He looked at Sokka confused. "And what was up with that pill you gave to Suki?"

Sokka swallowed. "Got it from the Doctor. It was just an adrenaline rush. You know how she was saying how tired she was? Turns out that was a side effect of the pain numbing stuff he gave her."

Zuko did the mental math in his head. They had been traveling for about two hours...and the pain numbing lasted for four...He looked at Sokka, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. 

"Suki!" Sokka ran off down the corridor, Zuko right behind him. Sokka barged right into the room she was sleeping in. She was sprawled out on the cot, it looked more like she was unconscious than sleep.

Sokka approached her cautiously. He dropped down on his knees by the bed. "Suki," he whispered. "Suki."

She began stirring, not long afterwards her eyes flitted open. She gave a sleepy smile. "Sokka."

"Suki," Sokka said anxiously. "I'm sorry, but in a few minutes, you're going to start feeling a lot of pain."

She looked confused and tried to sit up. Sokka gently pushed her back down, his hand stayed on her shoulder. "No, listen to me. You know how the Doctor gave you the medicine and you couldn't feel anything?" Suki nodded. "I don't know when but it's going to come back."

Suki began shaking her head vigorously. "No. No, stop it Sokka. Don't make it come back." Sokka but his lip and reached up and grabbed her hand. It was cold and clammy.

"Suki, it's going to hurt." He said, he felt a lump rising in his throat.

Suki continued shaking her head. "Stop it Sokka. Make it stop. Make it stop now!" she squeezed his hand. Her eyes began to water. "Sokka it hurts."

"Where does it hurt?" Sokka asked.

"Everywhere." Her voice was so small. "It hurts everywhere."

Suki felt her heart pounding in her chest. She felt herself breaking out in a cold sweat and she could just imagine the medicine seeping out of her body, pain replacing it. She could feel the faint throbbing turning into sharp stings, and she could feel her ribs breaking all over it again. She couldn't help it, she screamed out loud. She felt as if she were being burned. That's right, she was. Azula had taken pleasure in burning her legs and stomach. She was glad she was still clothed. If Sokka had seen the scars he would have found her repulsive.

Sokka felt like dying. Here was his girlfriend laying there reliving all the pain that had been inflicted on her and all he could offer was his damn hand. And apparently that wasn't enough either since she had broken at least two of the fingers from what he could tell.

Zuko stayed near the door, watching helplessly as Suki thrashed around on the bed. How was it that his sister still managed to torture people even when she was miles away...

He heard running. "What's going on?" Chit Sang asked as he came down the hall. "We heard screaming."

"It's Suki." Zuko explained everything that happened with her. Chit Sang's eyes were soft with sympathy.

They were silent as one particular scream ripped through the air. Zuko exhaled deeply. It was hard to watch, he couldn't imagine feeling it.

"Hang on Suki," Sokka said, tears falling from his eyes. "We're almost there, and Katara can heal you. You won't feel anymore pain."

Suki could barely process his words. No more pain? She was finding that harder and harder to believe. Over and over she felt herself being kicked in the stomach, she didn't think she had a good rib left. Then she felt it in her back, just barely missing the spot that would keep her from walking ever again. She saw stars as pain entered the back of her head. Azula had particularly enjoyed slamming the girl's head into the floor of the cell.

Her breathing was shallow, her eyes rolled in her head. It was too much for Sokka to see. But he held on, she was his girlfriend, he was supposed to be by her side.

"I'm going to see how long until we reach the Air Temple." Chit Sang mumbled. Zuko nodded.

A little over ten minutes later, Zuko felt the zeppelin jerk forward. It jumped and lurched a little but then he felt it touch ground.

Chit Sang thundered down the corridor. "We're here," he called. 

Sokka looked up, his eyes distant. "Suki we're here." but she wasn't listening. She just continued gasping out in pain. Sokka scooped her up and brushed past Zuko.

Sokka rushed to the exit and saw his father lowering the ramp. It wasn't even all the way down we he bounded off the thing.

Toph, Katara and Aang sat around a fire eating dinner when Sokka burst in on them. They all jumped.

"Sokka!" Katara cried. She rushed over to her brother. "Is that Suki? What happened?" she demanded, her healer instincts taking over.

Suki had stopped screaming, but she was gasping for air. This was the part where Azula had kicked her in her chest. Despite the pain, she clung to Sokka like he was the only thing in the world.

Zuko and Hakoda exited, with Chit Sang falling behind them. Before he could stop himself, Zuko felt himself rushing to Katara and pulling her in a tight embrace.

Katara buried her face in his neck. "I was so worried about you." She mumbled.

"I missed you like you wouldn't believe." Zuko mumbled so only she could hear. Toph appeared next to them and cleared her throat. "Sparky, you're back."

They broke away and Katara hurried over to hug her father. "I missed you too Katara, but you have to heal Suki. Now."

She nodded and ordered Sokka to follow her. She told him to put Suki in the fountain; she gasped when she felt the coolness of the water.

"Zuko come heat the water!" Sokka yelled.

"No." Katara said sharply. "Hot water may sting her bruises." Once Suki was submerged up to her neck, Katara stuck her hand in the water. After a few seconds, the water glowed an ethereal blue. Sokka could see the bruises fading on Suki's arms.

"What happened to her?" Katara asked softly. She hadn't seen her warrior friend in what seemed like ages. She had definitely had better days.

Sokka sighed and sat down on the edge of the fountain. "I can't talk about it." he held up his hand, showing his sister the two crooked fingers. "You think you could fix this?"

Katara nodded. "Put your hand in the water." she instructed.

…...

Later that evening, after all the introductions, and the exchange of stories of what happened, the occupants of the Air Temple had retired to bed. Sokka had stayed by Katara's side as she healed Suki. In one session, Katara had managed to coax the broken ribs, and other internal problems to fix themselves. She was tired though, she could only do so much at one time, but for now, safely tucked under Sokka's arm asleep, Suki was ok.

When Zuko was sure everyone was sleeping, he stealthily made his way to Katara's room. Without knocking, he entered, not surprised to find her wide awake.

"Zuko," she swept across the room and he pulled her into his arms. "Oh my God what were you thinking doing something as suicidal as that?"

Zuko smiled to himself and looked down at her. He missed seeing her blue eyes fixed upon him. They was something incredibly exotic and he loved them.

"I was thinking about helping your brother." he replied. "I knew he didn't stand a chance trying something like this on his own."

"If I recall correctly, weren't you the one to get caught?" Katara teased.

Zuko playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess I did kind of ruin that part. I'm surprised no one but Azula tried to kill me."

Katara looked at him, her gaze unwavering. "I'm glad you're safe. What would I do without you Zuko?" she asked.

Before he could even think of an answer, she had him by the hand and was pulling him towards to the bed near the window. "Come here," she said softly. "Let me show you how much I missed you."

Zuko let his imagination run wild as he let her pull him towards her and without paying much attention, he found himself locked in a deep kiss with the waterbender.

Her hands snaked around his neck and he wound his arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer to him. He had missed this when he was away with Sokka. Every time Sokka had saw the Water Tribe warrior with Suki, it made him ache for Katara. Even if all they had were stolen moments throughout the day and nights that weren't long enough, it was enough for him. For now.

Without much thought to what he was doing, Zuko was gently nudging Katara down onto the bed. He settled comfortably on top of her, making sure most of his weight rested on his forearms.

Katara loved kissing him. She liked how he always tasted faintly like smoke and cinnamon. She liked how his hair was perfectly shaggy, and she especially liked how he would hold her like she was the most precious thing in the world. So when she felt Zuko pressing her onto the bed, she just went with it. They had gone this far before, but even then, it felt nothing like this time. Maybe it was because she missed him crazy when he was gone. Maybe it was the thought that he could have died when he was gone. Maybe it was just because she was in love with him.

Zuko wasn't sure when Katara had gotten rid of his shirt, but he was very aware when he felt her cool hands creeping along his chest. _Extremely_ aware when he felt it trailing lower, and lower, and lower...

He made a noise of frustration when he felt her right below his waistline. He broke off the kiss.

Katara frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

It took every ounce of Zuko's will power to tell her that nothing was wrong, and that he would very much like for her to continue, but a little nagging voice in his head wouldn't let him. He reached down and grabbed Katara's hand, lacing them together.

"Nothing's wrong," he told her. "But we can't...go there. Not yet at least."

She looked up at him, her blue eyes driving him insane with want. "Is it because of Aang?" she asked simply.

He sighed and nodded. "I don't like sneaking around. It's not honorable, and you deserve more than that."

Katara regarded him skeptically. "So, you're saying you'd rather have the whole temple knowing we're sleeping together?"

Zuko laughed quietly. "You know what I mean, Katara."

Katara gave a sly smile. "I know." she reached up and placed her hand on his face, right where his scar used to be. "You're so honorable, Zuko. It's good to know that chivalry isn't dead." 

Zuko gave a crooked smile and kissed the tip of her noise. He pulled himself off of her and got to his feet. Katara followed him.

"I love you, Zuko." Katara said, looking up into his golden eyes. His gaze was enough to make her weak. "But if you ever run off like that again...with _Sokka _of all people, I promise you will never be able to father a child."

Zuko's eyes widened in fear. For Katara to be so motherly...she sure could scare a person straight. He nodded.

"I promise, 'Tara." he said, wrapping his arms comfortingly around her. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

"Are you going back to your room?" she asked after a while.

"Yeah." Zuko smiled, glad she couldn't see it. "I kind of feel like you'll take advantage of me if I'm in your presence much longer."

Katara rolled her eyes and pulled away smiling. "Good night, Zuko." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and turned away, sashaying back over to the bed, where she climbed in and rolled over so she could still see him. Zuko was watching her, jaw slightly open. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Care to join me?" she mocked.

Zuko growled under his breath and turned away. "Good night Katara." under his breath he mumbled "_fucking honor..." _

Zuko crept out of Katara's room. He held his breath passing by Sokka's room but the Water Tribe warrior still managed to appear in the doorway as he was walking by.

Zuko and Sokka locked eyes for a moment. Sokka didn't even speak. He simply jerked his head towards his room. Zuko gave a resigned sigh and followed Sokka inside.

A small red spark rock lit up the room dimly and Zuko was able to find a chair to sit on. He had never been in Sokka's room before. There were clothes strewn about, some messy drawings stuck to the walls, dishes here and there, and his space sword was leaned precariously against a small wardrobe.

Zuko waited for the explosion. He was already readying a response.

Instead of sitting down on the bed and disturbing Suki, Sokka sat crossed legged on the floor. He stared at Zuko for a long time.

Finally Sokka spoke. "So...you like my sister." he didn't ask it, he simply stated it.

Zuko nodded. "I love her."

Sokka gave him a strange look. "You don't mean that." Sokka said with a shrug, a habit he picked up from the Boiling Rock guards.

"I've known her a long time Sokka." Zuko figured he might as well come clean. "We've been through a lot. I love her."

Sokka shook his head. "Stop saying that."

Zuko cocked his head to the side. "I love her, Sokka."

Sokka kept shaking his head. "Nope. Cut it out."

"I. Love. Her." Zuko said, breaking up the syllables.

"Quit it!" Sokka said. Suki stirred and rolled over in her sleep. Sokka's eyes grew wide. "See what you did? Zuko I swear to God if you wake Suki up-" 

"Sokka?" Suki sat up on her elbow, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Sokka growled under his breath at Zuko and turned to Suki. "Hey there honey, how are you? Why don't you just go back to sleep?"

Suki disregard. "Zuko?" She looked from the firebender to her boyfriend. "Sokka, why is Zuko in here? It's late."

Zuko chewed the inside of his cheek and looked around the room. Sokka muttered a stream of swear words. "Well Suki, I think I would much rather have Zuko in here, than in my sister's bed."

Suki was confused for a moment, but soon after her face cleared up. "What are you...Oh! Oh...Zuko, you never said a thing about you and Katara."

"That's because there's nothing to say!" Sokka exclaimed. "There is no Katara and Zuko."

Suki was puzzled. Zuko repressed the urge to laugh. Through his teeth he said, "Don't be so loud Sokka, you might wake up Katara. You my love needs her beauty rest. You've seen her in the mornings."

Suki giggled, and Sokka looked at her appalled. "Oh, so you can wake up my girlfriend, but I can't wake up your-" he choked on the last part of his sentence, not wanting to say it.

Zuko leaned forward, a sly grin on his face. "My what, Sokka? My girlfriend? My..._lover_ maybe?"

Sokka gave a strangled cry, and before anyone could stop him, he had tackled the firebender to the floor. Suki hurriedly got to her feet. Sokka was an ok fighter, but from what she heard of the ex- Prince, Sokka had no business picking a fight with him.

The two boys rolled around on the floor each trying to gain the upper hand. Sokka landed a few punches in Zuko's stomach and the bender retaliated with his knee aimed in a very sensitive spot. Sokka doubled over, but still managed to roll over and land what would be a very black eye on Zuko. This rewarded Sokka with a very split lip.

Zuko was surprised to see that without his bending, him and Sokka were for the most part, pretty evenly matched. It caught him slightly off guard when Sokka rolled him under and placed his hands around Zuko's collar, not choking him, but keeping him pinned to the ground.

"She's my sister!" Sokka said, just barely keeping his voice under control. "I care about what happens to her!" 

Quickly, Zuko reversed them, this time pinning Sokka to the ground. "Well she's my girlfriend! And I care just as much as you do!" 

"You don't deserve her!" Sokka's words were becoming hard to understand, on account of his swollen lip.

Zuko gave a noise of contempt and pulled himself off of Sokka. He got to his feet and straightened his clothes out. "You're right, I don't deserve her. But for some reason, she thinks I do, and she's been better to me than anyone."

Sokka, taking this statement the wrong way got to his feet. "You perve! If you touch my baby sister-" 

"That's not what I meant you creep!" Zuko countered. He pointed to the side of his face that was once scarred. "She healed me. It was Katara who healed me."

Sokka stopped in his tracks. "Katara...got rid of your weird birth defect?" 

Suki gave him a look of disdain. "Sokka!" she admonished. He shrugged.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a birth defect! My father scarred me when I was little because I spoke out at a war meeting. He was trying to send out innocent troops on a suicide mission and I disagreed."

Sokka wasn't impressed. "That still doesn't mean anything. Katara heals loads of people. She's a good person."

"And she was able to see the good in me." Zuko said. "Maybe you can, too? I love her, Sokka. Plain and simple." 

Suki walked over and placed a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, he risked his life to help you bring your dad and me home."

"Yeah, but I didn't ask him too." Sokka replied.

"That's the point." Suki said obviously. She looked at Zuko. "This might be really cheesy, and if it means anything, you've got my blessing!"

Zuko gave her a grateful smile. She was pretty cool, and anyone who could stand up to his sister and her friends unafraid deserved a medal.

Sokka locked eyes with Zuko. After an intense stare down, Sokka finally caved. He sighed and stepped forward. He extended his hand.

"She's my sister, Zuko." he said softly. "I don't know what I would do without her. And I know you're not proposing marriage or anything but, I swear on my mother and Princess Yue's head, that if you ever hurt her, or give me any reason to think she's not happy with you, You and I are going to have a nice little talk on the very tip of a glacier in the South Pole."

Zuko nodded, he clasped hands with the Water Tribe warrior. It was a bond they seemed to develop, each caring about the blue eyed waterbender as much as the next one.

…...

Zuko started back to his room, but decided what he needed the most was fresh air. He could feel the sun beginning to creep into the sky, so he made his way to the common area, there was no way he would be getting sleep tonight...

Out in the temple, he sat with his legs dangling over the ledge. He peered down cautiously. He had never been a huge fan of heights, and seeing how far he was up now, he could only imaging someone falling over.

"Zuko?"

Zuko turned around to see Aang standing a few feet away. How he had managed to sneak up on him was beyond Zuko. Maybe he had been there the whole time.

He gave an easy smile. "Hey Aang. Have a seat." he gestured to a spot next to him.

Aang gave an nervous shrug. "I just came out here, to talk to you."

Zuko regarded the small airbender carefully. He was so young. He had to know that Katara was way out of his league. "Sure Aang. Is it about your lessons?" 

Aang shook his head. "No. It's about Katara." Zuko struggled to keep his composure. Aang continued. "I noticed that you two were kind of close. And then when you and Sokka left, she was worried, but she kept wondering out loud if you were ok, or if you had gotten caught. And then tonight...I saw you go into her room." Aang looked down sadly.

Zuko chewed his lip. No matter what he said to Katara, he was dreading the day when he would have to tell Aang. That day, as it turned out, was now.

Aang looked up at him. Zuko could see his grey eyes were full of worry and even sadness. Zuko cursed inwardly. "I was just wondering, if there was something going on between you two?"

Zuko never was good at lying. _Fucking honor..._

**A/N**

**Ok, so...that was a lot to take in yes? **

**Originally, I had this combined with the last chapter...**

**But then I decided to split them up into two chapters. **

**I can't guarantee the remaining chapters will be as long, **

**But I'll give it a shot (: **

**So, drink it all up, and leave some reviews please! **

**Appreciate it :) **


End file.
